Red Right Hand
by Nautical Paramour
Summary: The war didn't end when Harry and Voldemort fell. Hermione refuses to feel helpless any longer, and goes back in time to remove the scar that an unloved Tom Riddle left on the wizarding world. Tangled in the pureblood sphere, will Hermione just become another cog in Tom Riddle's plans? Final pairing is a secret! But not a Tomione. Lestrange OC. Parent!Hermione Child!Tom. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Alright, so this idea was suggested to me, but I honestly cannot remember who it was, so let me know if it was you! I am going to leave the pairing open for now to try and keep you in suspense, but it is not going to be a Tomione. I really hope that this whets your appetite for the story. I usually try to have a few chapters in the queue before posting a new story, but I am just so excited by the idea that I am posting tonight...hoping that I can update every few days or so, but no promises. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post story updates, sneak peeks, and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of the prologue and be on the lookout for the next chapter soon!

* * *

 **1998**

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

The war was supposed to end when Harry killed Voldemort. It wasn't supposed to stretch on and on until Hermione was separated from everyone that she loved or cared for.

Harry had died and then come back to life in the final battle. Her whole world had come crashing down, only to have a flicker of hope once again. They'd killed Voldemort's final horcrux, Nagini, and they knew that the man was now mortal once again. Harry, ever so brave, met Voldemort head on. Their spells met in the air in a brilliant display of the priori incantatem, locking the two foes in a seemingly endless limbo.

Until both of the spells rebounded, ricocheting back on their casters. _Both_ Voldemort and Harry had been killed instantaneously. Her hope was dashed again.

She'd expected that the Death Eaters would have dropped their wands, having realized that their seemingly infallible, unkillable leader was finally dead, their cause in ruins. But they'd kept fighting. The Battle of Hogwarts raged on for several hours, until both sides finally retreated.

Hermione had found that so many of her comrades were dead, Tonks and Lupin most notably. For a while she had Ron, but then he was killed one day as well, when they were out looking for food. Hermione wasn't sure if any of the Weasleys were even alive now. Her parents had been killed before she could send them on their merry way, with no memories of their daughter, to Australia, by Death Eaters.

She'd met back up with Kingsley Shacklebolt, after Ron, but he'd lost his will to fight. Wizarding Britain was in ruins, the Ministry no longer functioned, and he was going to get out of the country and go to America. He offered to bring her with him, but she couldn't leave this world. Not like this.

After, when she was crying herself to sleep night after night, she regretted that decision. She should have started over, somewhere else. For a few months, she lived in the tent that she carried around in her beaded bag, before she was sure that enough time had passed and she could go back to Grimmauld Place.

The old townhouse was empty when she returned, and although it was no longer under fidelus, the blood wards were still strong. It hadn't taken her long in the library to figure out how to get the house to yield to her. She was sure it had something to do with Harry's death...maybe the magic knew that he would have left everything he had to her.

It was a lonely existence in the musty old townhouse. Hermione made the decision to leave the first floor untouched. It had been sacked, and she didn't want any intruders to think that someone had come back and began inhabiting it again. No, it was better if it seemed abandoned.

As for her, she spent most of her time hiding out in one of the bedrooms on the top floor, previously inhabited by the twins, if all the scorch marks on the floor were anything to go by. During the day, she might creep downstairs to get new books from the library. She felt completely helpless. The Order of the Phoenix had gone to ash, and everyone was just fighting for themselves now. She had no hope of healing from the wound the Voldemort had left on the Earth.

* * *

Hermione thought about Voldemort a lot. How was it possible that one incredibly angry man had ruined so many lives? How had he gotten so many powerful families on his side? What had made him the way that he was, what would possess him to create _seven_ horcruxes? She couldn't imagine what was going on in his psyche that would have damaged him so much.

The problem was that she couldn't stop thinking about Voldemort. She _needed_ the answers. She often imagined what life would be like if Voldemort...Tom Riddle had grown up as a normal boy, happy and loved. What would the wizarding world be like if he hadn't been allowed to make so many ripples?

Hermione was sure that he'd had an extremely unhappy childhood. She knew from talking to Harry about Dumbledore's memories that he'd grown up in an orphanage. That his mother had died shortly after giving him his muggle father's name - the muggle father who completely abandoned him. He'd been shown absolutely no love from the time he was a baby, the women at the orphanage knowing that there was something odd about him, but not understanding what that was. Then, when he'd arrived at Hogwarts, he didn't have the same experience that Harry or Hermione did - suddenly feeling as though they belonged. No, his peers were frightened of him. He only had followers, not friends.

It was on a rainy July afternoon that Hermione decided that Voldemort was afraid of death because of his mother. She'd been lying in bed again - unable to find the energy to get up when she had _no hope_ \- listening to the water leaking from the roof into the bucket she'd conjured. The only understanding of love Voldemort had came from his mother. She didn't love her son, but Merope Gaunt had loved the muggle Tom Riddle. And what had she gotten for her trouble? Death.

Hermione would fantasize about what would have happened if some nice English couple, maybe a little bit older, had just adopted him when he was a baby. Some nice muggles that would love a son, intelligent and charismatic. Then, when they found out that he was a wizard, they would be so _pleased._ So _proud_ of their child. Tom would be loved and maybe have a perfectly good job at the Ministry of Magic once he graduated Hogwarts.

She _knew_ it was odd to fantasize about a life where Tom Riddle had a normal childhood. She knew she should be fantasizing about a world where her friends were still alive, and she and Ron were planning their wedding. It would be at the Burrow, of course, and everyone would be there and everyone would be happy.

But those thoughts hurt too much. They reminded her of what she _couldn't_ have. They reminded her of what she _almost_ had.

* * *

It was a cool September evening, not quite her birthday yet, that Hermione realized that she could give Tom Riddle a normal childhood.

She'd been rummaging through Regulus's things when she found a time turner. She was positive the teenager hadn't even _known_ what it was, as it was a rather unusual shape, and if he had she doubted he would have just left it so unguarded. But Hermione had used time turners a lot and she could _feel_ the familiar temporal magic running through her. It was oddly comforting to have such a familiar device in her hands once again.

A time turner was a tiny piece of magic that had the possibilities to right huge wrongs. Hermione remembered how she'd used her own time turner to save Sirius Black and Buckbeak in her third year. Spinning the gold time piece in her hand, Hermione wondered if it was possible that she might be able to right another wrong.

Laying in bed, with the time turner resting on her chest, Hermione thought about all wrongs that she could fix. She could go to the final battle and stop Harry from being killed somehow. But why stop there? She could go back and save Mad-Eyed Moody, or Albus Dumbledore, or Sirius Black. She could go all the way back and save James and Lily Potter, making sure that Harry was never even marked as Voldemort's equal. Hell, she could save Moaning Myrtle.

It didn't take long to realize that Tom Riddle was the cause of all of that death and destruction. Tom Riddle, who'd never had anyone to love him, and lashed out to try and protect himself from Death, only to kill so many people in the process. If she wanted to save all the people who'd been hurt by him...she would have to make sure that Tom Riddle would never get hurt in the first place.

Dumbledore had once told Harry that he didn't think Tom Riddle was capable of love, because he was conceived with the use of amortentia. But, Hermione didn't believe that. All this time, she'd been fantasizing about Tom Riddle growing up and having a normal life, but she'd never put two and two together that _she_ could be the one that could give him that life.

Sitting up, she grabbed the time turner tightly in her hand. It would take a lot of preparation, of course, and a bit of modification, but she thought that she could make this happen. Hermione felt that she was perhaps uniquely qualified to help Tom Riddle through his transition into the wizarding world. By all accounts he'd been an exceptionally smart child, much like she herself had been. And she knew what it felt like to be an outsider in the wizarding world, and perhaps if she helped him through it, he would fit in more...make friends.

He wouldn't turn to a life of dark magic to achieve his ends.

She spent the night in the library, trying to recalibrate the time turner to go back years instead of hours. She couldn't have found a better time turner to manipulate, as this one was really quite malleable. By the time that the dawn broke, Hermione found herself successful, but knowing that she still had a lot to do if she was going to go back over seventy years.

For the first time in many years, though, she felt hope that things could change for the better. That _she_ was going to be able to make a real difference.

* * *

She'd had the time turner completed for a couple of weeks, but she still had a lot of work to do if she was going to adopt Tom Riddle from the orphanage. She knew that he was born on New Year's Eve in 1926, and she remembered that Harry said he'd lived in Wool's Orphanage from their whispered conversations in the tent when they were looking for horcruxes.

The only problem was that Wool's Orphanage didn't exist any longer. They'd looked for it once before, but they'd found no trace left of the place. Hermione had spent a few days reading through zoning plats in city hall, and eventually found it's location, the original building having been razed to become an office space.

Even if she knew where Tom Riddle would be waiting for her, she was positive that the matron would just hand over a baby to a random girl, especially one who'd only just turned nineteen. Hermione decided that she would pass herself off as a distant cousin of Merope Gaunt. She was very lucky to be hiding out in Grimmauld Place, knowing that the Black family kept extensive records of all the pureblood families. It wasn't difficult to find more information on the Gaunt family.

Knowing that the Gaunt family was so inbred, there was no way that she could try to pass herself off as a Gaunt in the wizarding world. Though, reading about the awful kind of person that Marvolo Gaunt was, she didn't want to be related to him anyway. She turned her attention instead to Merope's mother.

There wasn't much on the mysterious witch, as it seemed that she died when the children were very young, but she did find old wedding announcements and birth announcements for the Gaunt family. It seemed that Demelza Millefeuille was a young pureblood girl who came from France, who came from an equally disgusting family. Her father had gone to jail for poisoning muggles at his patisserie, and died there before his daughter was married. Her mother had arranged the marriage and died not two years later.

Demelza did have a younger brother, Albaric Millefeuille, who seemed to be the only bright spot in that family. He'd married a sweet pureblood girl, and they had a girl who fit the age that Hermione would be when she went back in the past. Albaric and his wife Tempeste had been killed by Grindelwald in 1925. Their unnamed daughter had moved to America, as far as she could tell.

It would be easy, Hermione decided, to take up the mantle of Hermione Millefeuille, daughter of Albaric, and first cousin to Merope Gaunt. Seeing as the Millefeuille girl had lived in France, she thought that there was little to no chance that she would run into anyone who knew her in England. It seemed that Albaric had wanted to live a simple life, outside of the pureblood culture his father had been raised in. It was a comforting thought that she might be able to add to the legacy that Albaric wanted to create before he'd died.

Once she'd determined who and what she was going to be in the past, she felt that she didn't have much else to do but gather her things in preparation to go back at get Tom Riddle. She did have a bit of trouble converting all of her parents muggle money into Francs, seeing as the French government was switching to Euros. In the end, she didn't have as much money as she thought she would, but it should be enough for her to live comfortably and raise Tom until she could find a job.

She'd picked an arbitrary day in December for her to go back to the past. She couldn't believe that it had finally arrived and she was actually going to raise Tom Riddle. What if she couldn't put her anger for the evil man that he became past the little boy she would be taking in? What if she couldn't give him the love that he deserved? What if she couldn't change him?

Shaking her head, Hermione was determined to succeed. She _had_ to, if she wanted to give all the people affected by Voldemort a better life. She would never be able to come back, but she thought that this little adventure might be able to give her some purpose in life, purpose she'd been struggling to find since the Final Battle that wasn't the end of the war.

Leaving Grimmauld Place behind, carrying just her small beaded bag and her time turner, Hermione was ready to make a change in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I really wasn't expecting such a great response and I am so excited to hear that many of you were looking for the next chapter. I will try to update 1-2x a week, depending on how quickly I can get things up. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Huge shout out and thank you to kreeblimsabs for alpha reading this chapter! She is so awesome, and has started posting a Luna/Rolf story, so go check that out if you are interested!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter two and be on the lookout for chapter three soon!

* * *

 **December 18th, 1926**

Hermione's grand entrance into 1926 was much less exciting than she'd expected. Jumping back years instead of hours really felt no different than usual, only instead of hiding in some alcove in Hogwarts, she was huddled in a very old bathroom in the Victoria and Albert museum. Really, she was just glad that through the building's history it had remained a bathroom.

Opening the stall door cautiously, she was pleased to see that the clothing she'd found at a second hand store seemed to be fitting in...with the muggles anyway. She was completely unsure of what wizarding fashion would be like at this time. Perhaps she could pass it off as an odd French quirk, if she found herself terribly dressed. Still, she wouldn't know until she got to Diagon Alley.

Leaving the museum, Hermione made her way to a bus stop, before pausing to look at the map to figure out which bus to take to get into Central London. She wasn't sure how much the routes would have changed since when she was growing up, which gave her pause. Nibbling on her lower lip, it wasn't long until she sensed a presence behind her.

Hermione turned to look at a rather good looking muggle man smiling at her. "Are you lost, Miss?" He asked her, with a tip of his hat.

She shook her head. "No, just new to the city." She turned back around, trying to get him to leave her alone. Her plans _didn't_ involve getting involved with a muggle. She needed to get a residence in Wizarding London established before she went to adopt Tom...not that Tom had even been born yet, she thought with a smile.

The muggle apparently didn't understand the hint, and pressed himself against her back, his arm reaching around her body. "Where are you headed?" He asked, his breath making Hermione shiver, uncomfortable.

"Central London." She said with a frown. "Charing Cross Road." She wondered what it was that was compelling her to continue talking to him. She wanted him as far away from him as possible.

"Well, what do you know. That's where I am heading too." He said with a rather shark like grin. Hermione frowned in return. "Come, I will show you the way on the bus. It's just arriving now."

Glancing at the map, Hermione knew that he was telling the truth, but she didn't want to go anywhere with the muggle. Still, she stepped up to get on the bus, paying the driver, before hustling towards the back of the bus to sit next to an old man reading the newspaper. Her admirer looked rather put out that she didn't chose to sit with him, but Hermione tried to focus on the stop names being called out while they sped down the road.

Before long, it was the stop that she wanted to get off at, and Hermione sprang up from her seat, trying to put as much distance between her and the overly helpful muggle as possible. Heading down the street, she nearly missed the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, as the record shop didn't exist yet. Luckily, the bookstore still was, and Hermione quickly tapped the stones, the door opening just as the muggle was catching up with her.

Hermione stepped into the inn, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding until the stones closed behind her, surely leaving the muggle befuddled and confused on the other side. Her sudden presence in the inn certainly caused some conversation. Many of the patrons were giving her the once over, and Hermione realized that it was because she was wearing such muggle attire. Raising her wand, she transfigured her dress into some robes that she _hoped_ matched the rather posh looking witch sitting at a table with two suitors.

Making her way to the bar, she couldn't stop the quirk of her lips when she noticed that Tom was still the bar keeper, only much, _much_ younger looking. Hermione never thought about what color of hair that the man would have had if he had any in her time, but it was actually nearly jet black. His look was completed with a bushy mustache. "Do you know where I might rent a room for extended boarding?" She asked, hoping she at least sounded confident.

Tom didn't stop from polishing the pint glasses behind the counter. "Who's asking?" He said, perhaps wanted to satisfy his curiosity of who this newcomer was.

"I'm Hermione Millefeuille. I've just arrived in from France." She said. The man sitting at the bar murmured in what Hermione couldn't sure was approval or disgust. It seemed that her "grandfather's" crimes _had_ been heard of here in England. She blushed, hoping that Tom would still be willing to help her.

"We got rooms here. How long's your stay?" He asked.

"Oh, I am not entirely sure yet. I was thinking perhaps a year though." Hermione told him, quickly. She hoped he would give her a suggestion because she could not imagine living above the Leaky Cauldron with a small baby.

Finally, he looked up at her, his head cocked to one side. "In that case, you'll want to go to Knockturn Alley. Dowager Brown has got a house there for unwed ladies."

She swallowed thickly, hoping that he wasn't being cruel and sending her to a brothel. She plastered a fake smile on her face, nodding, before leaving the pub in the direction of Knockturn Alley.

* * *

 **January 1, 1927**

As it turned out, to Hermione's vast relief, Knockturn Alley was nothing like it was in the future. Instead of dark magic, it seemed to be an older section of Wizarding London, with all sorts of curio shops, bookstores and antiques. Dowager Brown's house was not a brothel, but instead exactly what Tom said it was. After her husband died, Madame Brown decided to open a boarding house specifically for unwed girls.

There was a strict curfew on the house, but Hermione thought that she could abide by the rules, and so she was offered a small bedroom with an en suite bathroom for what she hoped was a reasonable price. She was still a little fuzzy on all the exchange rates so far back in time. In any case, she was certain that she would be able to find a job soon enough.

The house was quite empty right now, seeing as it was the holidays and most of the other girls were back home with their families, but she understood that there were typically five other girls that she would be sharing the house with. It was nice to have a bit of time to get used to this new world, which was really quite different.

Her first day there, she'd gone to purchase a new set of robes, excusing her lack of clothes by fabricating a trunk lost by the Office of International Portkeys. Madame Malkins did not yet exist in this time and the shop that existed in its place seemed to specialize in Hogwarts uniforms. Knowing that she didn't need those, Hermione explored Knockturn Alley, before finding a lovely little shop.

She wasn't able to get the poshest clothing, but she was able to get a few separates that she could mix and match. Hermione was very conscious about trying to budget her money properly. She wanted to give Tom a good life, one that he could be happy and carefree in, and having to struggle for money would not foster that.

On the last day of the new year, Hermione smuggled a bottle of champagne into her rented room - alcohol was strictly forbidden in Dowager Brown's home - and toasted the birth of the boy she was going to adopt. Sitting alone on her bed, with silencing spells up, she thought that this was truly the day that everything was going to change. She prayed that it would be for the better.

Glass of bubbly in hand, Hermione quickly began penning a letter from Merope to her favorite cousin Hermione. She lamented that they hadn't seen each other in several years, but wrote of her marriage to a man called Tom Riddle who had left her alone and pregnant. Hermione poured out what she was sure Merope felt...fear of being alone, fear of giving birth. She wrote of a hope that Hermione would be there for her once her time came, pleading that she could come to London. Hermione just hoped that this would be enough to fool the muggles.

She couldn't exactly show up to Wool's on the day that Tom Riddle Jr was born, so she would have to give it a few days. Laying down alone in her bed, listening to whizbangs and firecrackers from Diagon Alley, Hermione rang in the New Year for what she hoped would be the last time in her life.

If things went to plan, in just a few short days she would be a mother.

* * *

 **January 5, 1927**

The walk to Wool's orphanage had dread settling in Hermione's belly, and it wasn't just from the nerves that she was going to adopt a little boy who had the potential to become Lord Voldemort some day, the man who was the cause of nearly all the pain in her life. Wool's was located in a very...industrial part of London, and Hermione was nearly shocked that so many factories were still located in the city at this time of history. She'd thought they'd start moving out to the country.

Being that it was located near the Thames, and therefore the docks, though, Hermione really shouldn't be so surprised that many factories wanted to remain there to ease shipping costs. Still, it didn't make the atmosphere any less suffocating. The buildings seemed to loom overhead, covered in soot and dirt and some smokestacks were busy billowing up plumes of smoke. Sparks and the low hum of electricity rattled around in her brain, broken up only by the faint rhythmic pounding of heavy machinery.

It would have been an absolutely miserable existence to grow up here, even if it was only for a few months out of the year. Hermione felt her first real bolt of empathy for a young Tom Riddle spending his life here.

Hermione felt distinctly out of place as she walked through the...well, slum, really. The men that weren't so busy working would leer at her in her well tailored muggle dress. The only thing that brought her _any_ comfort was the feeling of her wand up her sleeve, ready if she should need it.

Wool's Orphanage wasn't much better than any of it's surrounding buildings. It looked rather gray, Hermione thought, and when she knocked on the door, it was answered by a haggard looking woman, who was yelling at a child still hidden by a door. The woman looked Hermione up and down. "What do you want?"

"I believe my cousin's child might be here." Hermione said, with an authority that she hoped would work on this woman. "I've come to collect him. Hermione Millefeuille." She offered her gloved hand in hand shake, but the woman just looked away.

"Alrigh' then, come in." The woman said, before showing Hermione to a small parlor. "Me name's Mrs. Cole, I'm the matron here. What's the name o' your cousin's boy."

"I'm not sure really." Hermione feigned, before rustling about in her purse for the letter she'd written that was supposed to be from Merope, as well as a forged muggle Death Certificate indicating that Merope's body had been retrieved from Wool's. "Perhaps the surname Riddle?"

Mrs. Cole froze at that, her eyes focused on the papers that Hermione had given her. "We thought Merope was a circus worker."

Hermione felt her nose scrunch in distaste. "Why on Earth would you think that?" She asked, having found _nothing_ of that in all of her research of Merope Gaunt. Though, she supposed no one thought to ask Mrs. Cole about Merope. When the older woman didn't answer the question, Hermione continued on. "Now see here. My cousin wrote to me, asking to come attend her birth, and I arrive from France as soon as I am able, only to find that she has had the child and is now dead. I would like to care for the boy, as a last honor to my dear cousin."

Mrs. Cole looked her up and down, not even attempting to hide the scowl on her face. "How old are you Miss Millefeuille?"

"Nineteen, though I don't see how that has anything-"

"What would you know about carin' for a child?" Mrs. Cole responded. "Seems to me that Tommy might be better off being cared for here."

Hermione frowned. From what she knew from Dumbledore, Mrs. Cole had been so eager to get rid of Tom Riddle, aged eleven. She hadn't been expecting so much resistance from the muggle woman. She supposed none of Tom's oddities, his bits of accidental magic, hadn't shown up yet, so she wasn't terrified of the young boy.

"I think he would be best cared for with _family_." Hermione insisted. "You must look after many children here. I can give Tom the individual attention he deserves."

"Oh, look a' you, thinkin' you're all high and mighty. I get it...Tommy's a special boy from a _rich_ family." Mrs. Cole said with a sneer. Hermione was really, truly shocked, wondering why Mrs. Cole was so unwilling to let her adopt her own flesh and blood. "We don' normally let unwed women adopt a child."

"I _insist_ that I am fully capable of caring for Tom." Hermione said, staring the older woman down, needing her to give Tom Riddle to her. If she didn't, her trip to the past was completely worthless! And, it wasn't as though Hermione could just go back to the future...she'd have to live through all seventy years.

Feeling panic rise in her, she let her wand drop into her arm. " _Confundus."_ She whispered, and watched as a blank look came over the older woman's face.

"What were we discussin' again?" Mrs. Cole asked.

Hermione could barely contain the smirk that threatened to come over her face. "You were going to take me to see my cousin, Tom Riddle, while you drew up the forms so that I could adopt him." Hermione said, smoothly.

The woman looked like she might protest, before she shook her head slightly. "Come on then, I'll show you to the nursery."

Following the woman up some rickety old stairs, Hermione felt tension settle in her belly as they reached the room. The nursery was incredibly cold and it had two other cribs inside of it. Mrs. Cole took her to the one nearest to the window.

Peering into the crib, Hermione would have never guessed that this little boy could be the cause of so much trouble. Picking up the little blue bundle, and holding him close to her chest, Hermione felt a sense of calm radiate over her. He stared up at her with creamy blue eyes. Using a finger to brush his chubby cheeks, Hermione cooed to him. "Hello Tom. I'm going to be your mummy now."

"I'll come get you once I get the papers drawn up." Mrs. Cole said in the background, before leaving the young woman to bond with the small boy in her arms.

* * *

After retrieving a few baby essentials - Hermione was kicking herself after all of her preparation, she hadn't even thought to get things that a baby might need - she and Tom made her way back to her boarding house. Thanking her lucky stars that no one saw her enter with her small bundle of joy, she silenced her room. She wasn't sure if Madame Brown would let her stay there with a baby. She knew that she couldn't keep the secret forever, but she would for a few days, if only to get herself on her feet.

Tom was a remarkably quiet baby so far, and Hermione wondered if perhaps it had something to do with his short stay in the orphanage or if it was just his nature. Tom was rather cold, yet from the icy chill in the nursery, so Hermione was content to let him sap some of her body heat while she'd held him close. He hadn't cried once, not even on the long ride back to Charing Cross. Instead, he'd looked up at her with wide eyes.

Of course, Hermione knew that he was too young to be making any real observations yet, she felt a bit of pride settle in her chest that Tom was already well advanced at this age. She hoped that perhaps they weren't that different, and he would come to look up to her when he got older.

Back in the safety of her small room, Hermione enlarged the crib and set about heating up some milk for a bottle. She wasn't sure how witches fed their babies if they didn't or couldn't breastfeed, so she'd gone with muggle supplies. At least she knew her way around that. Once his bottle was ready, Hermione sat on the edge of her bed looking out the window while he fed eagerly.

That was a positive sign, she thought, while smoothing the fine strands of dark hair, already showing a hint of curl. Once he was done, though, Hermione felt the familiar fear of failure creep into the back of her mind. What if she did everything wrong? She hadn't even thought to bring baby clothes or things for a baby. How could she have been so careless?

What if she wasn't able to set aside her feelings about Lord Voldemort aside? What if her anger and disgust from the feature began to fester as he grew older and into the boy from Harry's memories? What if she wasn't able to change him?

Suddenly feeling rather in over her head, Hermione clutched the baby to her chest while she cried.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all so so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Seriously, I am so so blown away by the support! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge shout out to alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter three and be on the lookout for chapter four soon!

* * *

 **March 27, 1929**

"Miss Millefeuille, I simply _must_ insist that you move out of my home. I was sympathetic at first, but this has gone on too long." Madame Brown said, staring down the younger girl with disdain, while Tommy played in the corner of the room with a book.

Hermione could hardly believe all of the changes that occurred in just two years. It seemed like only yesterday that she was picking up Tommy from Wool's Orphanage, and now he was walking and talking, and even showing bits of accidental magic. He was quite fond of pulling all of the books out of her bookshelf. But, although she'd been thrilled with Tom's progress, she couldn't deny that the years had been hard on her.

She quickly learned that she knew absolutely _nothing_ about raising a baby. While Tommy hadn't been particularly fussy, he still required an immense amount of attention. She cried more in the first six months of raising him than she had the whole year she was on the run with Harry and Ron, often feeling so stressed out. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about bringing him back to Wool's.

But she'd preserved, so far. Madame Brown has been lenient with her raising the child, after Hermione explained the situation to her. Hearing the name Merope Gaunt had the older woman going pale and giving little Tommy a look of pure pity. Hermione had initially gotten a job at a bookshop, working in the mornings for a meager bit of money. Another one of the girls at the house - a rather tough girl called Lyanna Fawcett - had offered to watch Tom while Hermione was at work, something Hermione readily agreed to.

The money wasn't very good, but it was at least steady. She'd found that raising a child was rather expensive and her savings were dwindling slowly. Her boss, a snooty old man, liked her work and mostly let her catalog books unmolested.

But then Lyanna Fawcett had gotten married in 1928, and Hermione found that her childcare was suddenly up. She'd been able to bring Tommy to work with her for a while, undetected, but eventually, her boss had found her toting a small toddler around with her, and she was dismissed.

Hermione had been looking for a job ever since, while living off her rapidly draining savings. It had been a nice chance to spend a lot of with Tommy, especially because he was learning so much right now, and reaching so many milestones. Unfortunately, there were not parenting books in this time period, but Hermione could just already tell that he was advanced.

Tommy called her mummy, and loved split pea soup. He had an unnatural way with animals, whenever they would go to the park, that Hermione thought might be accounted for because he was a parselmouth. She hadn't _seen_ him talking to any snakes yet, but she couldn't be positive. Still, he quite liked to have the squirrels bring him little gifts. He was walking everywhere now, and he'd gotten so _fast_ , Hermione thought fondly. If you didn't keep your eyes on him at absolutely all times, he was liable to be half way down the block.

He had also grown into quite the handsome child. Hermione could already see hints of the teenager that he was going to grow into - the one that Harry had seen in the Chamber of Secrets. His eyes had remained a dark blue, while his hair had absolutely lovely black curls, which made all the other girls at Dowager Brown's house cooing. Even Madame Brown herself would crumble when she saw the tiny dimples in his chubby cheeks when he smiled.

But, Tommy's dimples couldn't talk Madame Brown into letting them stay at her home rent free. Hermione's savings had gone completely dry in December, the last knut being spent on clementines to celebrate Tommy's second birthday. Hermione had been promising the older woman that she would pay her back as soon as she'd found a job, but three months later, Madame Brown seemed to have had enough.

Hermione felt tears in her eyes at the thought of her and Tommy being kicked out on the street. She'd thought that she would be able to give him a better life, but living on the street was certainly not better than growing up in that orphanage, no matter how cold and dirty it was. At least he would have had food and roof over his head.

"Please Madame Brown, I am looking for a job, I promise." She begged, thinking about how hard she was looking. It seemed that it was hard enough getting a job for an unwed girl, who ought to be looking for a husband, or so it was said, but it was even harder to get a job as an unwed _mother_ , even if she explained her convoluted relationship with Tommy. She doubted anyone _really_ even believed her.

The other woman sat down next to Hermione on the bed, giving a tired sigh when her eyes landed on Tommy's figure, completed unaware of the turmoil his mummy was going through at the moment. "I am sorry, Hermione." She closed her eyes, her age showing on her face. "But people are starting to learn that you live here and it's ruining my home's reputation."

"I don't understand." Hermione said, a perplexed look on her face.

"This is a home for unwed girls." Madame Brown said. "And yet, you live here with a child. Parents don't want to let their virgin daughters live here if they think they are going to be exposed to...well, impropriety." The woman's cheeks were red.

Hermione's cheeks were red as well, as she knew she was virgin herself. She wished she would have thought more about the societal differences before she came back her and adopted Tom as her own. Maybe she could have tracked down one of the surviving male Order members and seen if they'd go back _with_ her to act as her husband.

She could barely contain a snort of laughter. They probably would have thought she'd snapped if they knew that she wanted to raise Lord Voldemort.

No, she couldn't fault Madame Brown for wanting her gone. Hermione realized that she was hurting the woman's livelihood at this point, but...she just didn't know what to do. "Please, I just need a little bit more time." She pleaded, her gaze on the small boy on the floor.

Madame Brown stood up from the bed and gave Hermione a grim look. "Alright, darling. I can give you a few more days. But you need to be gone the first of the month." Then she turned, in a swirl of her impressive lavender colored dress robes, and left Hermione alone with her thoughts.

Well, she had four days to figure out what she was going to do.

* * *

 **March 30th, 1929**

Hermione knew the minute that the Lady of the house swept into the parlor that she wasn't going to get the job. Lady Gwendoline Rowle took one look at little Tommy settled in Hermione's lap, playing with a paper soldier, and her smile faltered for just a moment before her pureblood mask settled back into place. "And just who might this handsome young man be?" She asked, her voice strained.

"My name's Tommy." He said, not looking up from his toy, much too interested in making the little man march up and down his leg.

"Tommy's my son." Hermione said, and watched as Lady Rowle completely lost her mask of indifference quickly. "Well, that is to say, technically he is my cousin's son. But she died giving birth, and so I've been looking after him." She desperately tried to explain the situation.

Really, part of Hermione hoped that Tommy would be a positive mark for employment. Obviously, she'd raised a well manner child, who was quite advanced for his age. Surely, she would be able to do the same thing, looking after Lady Rowle's own brood of rambunctious boys, each one larger than the last. Hermione had seen them in the Alley more than once, and in her opinion, their behavior left a lot to be desired.

"I didn't realize that you had a child, Miss Millefeuille." Lady Rowle said simply.

"I assure you that it won't interfere with my duties, Lady Rowle." Hermione said, reverently. "I doubt that it would be too much to watch one additional child during the day. He normally does well playing by himself." She could see that Lady Rowle was irritated, from the tight line of her thin lips. "I could tutor the boys in French, but I am also quite adept at all forms of magic. We could make sure all of them will be prepared when they arrive at Hogwarts."

Lady Rowle simply raised her perfectly groomed blonde eyebrow.

* * *

Hermione sat on the park bench, watching Tommy chase after the ducks. He still wasn't quite quick enough to catch them, and the ducks were eager to be fed, so they kept coming back to the delighted toddler. Despite the inordinately happy scene in front of her, Hermione felt her world spinning around her.

Of course Lady Rowle wasn't going to be open to having Hermione watching her sons while watching Tommy as well. It was the same with all the others as well. No one seemed to want anything to do with the so called "taint" of having a single mother around their children. Hermione might be whispering all kinds of illicit things in their ears when their parents were away.

She couldn't find anywhere that would watch Tom while she worked because she couldn't pay them, and she couldn't pay them because she couldn't get a job that would let her watch Tom. She tried to explain that it would only be for a while, just until she had a bit of money saved up, but it didn't matter.

Maybe she should have mentioned Tommy, when she responded to Lady Rowle's owl.

It was too late now. Hermione felt as if she had exhausted all avenues of finding a job in this time. She didn't know what she was going to do when Madame Brown kicked her out at the end of the month. Hermione wished she'd saved up enough money to get them passage to America. She heard that in their Wizengamot, they already had a female Supreme Mugwump. Wizarding England still didn't have one, all the way in 1999!

Feeling extremely helpless, at this point, Hermione couldn't stop the tears that started to pour down her face. Part of her felt as though she should be embarrassed to be crying in public, but no matter how much she scolded herself internally, she couldn't make them stop.

Tiny hands on her leg made her look down at Tommy's ruffled hair. "Mummy, no crying." He said firmly, in a way that Hermione knew was supposed to be comforting. It made a smile crack on her face, that Tommy thought he could simply proclaim something and it would happen. Lifting him up into her laugh, she kissed the top of his head, and wiped at her cheeks, even though the tears hadn't stopped.

"Excuse me, Miss? Are you alright?" A rather posh sounding voice came from her left, startling her.

Hermione turned her head to see a rather handsome man, with blond curly hair and stunning grey eyes. Her eyes narrowed at him. She was sure she'd never met him before, but there was something so _familiar_ about him too. "Sirius?" The name came unbidden from her lips.

The man laughed, tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showing, before he moved around the bench to sit next to her. "No, Cygnus, I'm afraid. Cygnus Black." He offered a hand, which Hermione took hesitantly. "Do you know my big brother?"

Hermione cleared her throat, running through her memory of the Black family tapestry that hung up in Grimmauld Place. "Erm, no, just met him once, at a party." Hermione supplied, a bit hurt to learn that this wasn't Sirius, but rather, his great-grandfather, she thought. At least this explained where Walburga Black got her blonde hair from.

"I hate to see such a lovely woman crying." Cygnus said. Perhaps being naturally flirty was a Black trait, Hermione mused. Sirius had certainly been unable to help himself too. "Are you alright, Miss-"

"Millefeuille. Hermione Millefeuille." She answered, looking down at the top of Tommy's head. He was certainly wary of this new stranger. Hermione took a moment to observe the man next to her. Cygnus was certainly a bit older than her; if she had to guess she would have thought that he was in his late thirties...certainly not old by wizarding standards. He was lean, but rather average in height, similar in built to the Sirius she knew.

"Millefeuille. I don't believe I've heard of your family before." He said, in what Hermione assumed was a cautious way of asking what her blood status was. She certainly felt the benefit of being a "pureblood" here.

"I'm a recent transplant from France." She said, going over her family history, as she had so often. "My father, Albaric was killed by Grindlewald a few years ago. When my cousin Merope Gaunt asked me to come be with her when she gave birth, I figured it was as good an excuse as any to leave France."

"Gaunt?" Cygnus laughed. "Are you a parselmouth?" His gray eyes lit up at the prospect of meeting someone with the famed Gaunt family trait.

"No," Hermione blushed, tucking some hair behind her ear. "That was a paternal trait, and I am related to Merope through her mother, Demelza."

"Ah." Cygnus said, quiet for a moment. "Why were you crying?"

Hermione hated for a moment that he was so pushy, but at the same time, it felt nice to get it off her chest. "I am trying to find a job, but no one will hire me when they find out I have Tommy, here. He is Merope's child, but after she died, I've been taking care of him. I am a quite accomplished scholar, and I've been looking for work as a governess, but...no one will hire me on."

"Well, it's simple then. Come and work for me." Cygnus offered.

Hermione laughed at his offer, unbelieving that such an opportunity would just drop into her lap.

"No, really. I've been looking for someone to watch over my younger two children, after my wife Violetta passed. Dorea is nearing the age that she might need womanly guidance." Cygnus explained.

Hermione felt her heart soar at such an opportunity, only...it seemed too good to be true. Cygnus Black obviously hadn't looked too hard for a governess if so many other families were willing to pass her by. Surely there were other better suited women out there to watch after his children. What did he expect of it? "I don't know…" Hermione trailed off, worrying her lower lip.

"Come, I will offer you room and board. You would come live at my manor, and teach my two children Dorea and Marius. I would have no problem with you watching your child at the same time. I just want them prepared for when they begin Hogwarts." Cygnus said in a rush. "Marius has been so poorly behaved since his mother passed, and this young man seems quite the gentleman."

She felt a bit odd, knowing that Cygnus had only just met her minutes ago, and was now offering her a place to stay, and a job. There was something about it that just rubbed her the wrong way. But, it was almost too good of a deal to pass up. "Let me think it over?" Hermione requested.

Cygnus stood up, offering her a kiss on her cheek. He looked into her eyes seriously, just a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll await your owl, Miss Millefeuille."

Hermione practically floated all the way back to Dowager Brown's home, carrying Tommy on her hip. Cygnus certainly sent a flutter in her chest, much in the way that Sirius had when she was just a school girl, arguing with him about house elves.

She would wait a day, and then let him know that she accepted. Yes, it was an unusual day, but she didn't think she was going to be getting a better offer. She needed to put herself aside and think about what was best for Tommy. Growing up in a stable home, with good food and a comfortable bed, was going to give him the best chances at life. And, who knows, if he mingled with the Black family, he might find better fortunes at Hogwarts, too.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed after last chapter. You all have no idea how surprised I am about how much you all are loving it, especially because it's not really a typical story with a typical pairing. There is a lot of story left...we have a few more chapters in 1929 and then time will begin to pass faster. The majority of the story will be while Tom is at Hogwarts. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter four and be on the lookout for chapter five soon!

* * *

 **April 1st, 1929**

Hermione had made arrangements to move in with Cygnus Black on the first of the month. He'd offered to pick her up, something Hermione had happily agreed to. Over the last two years, she really had accumulated a lot of things...a lot of toys, too, she noticed. Hearing that such an eligible bachelor as Cygnus Black was coming to visit _her_ home had Madame Brown in an absolute tizzy, and the rest of the girls jealous that Hermione was going to live with him.

"How eligible can he be?" Hermione had asked over dinner to the older woman who'd become her friend. "His wife just died."

Madame Brown looked at her with a hint of pity in her eyes. Hermione knew that Madame Brown attributed a lot of Hermione's social miscues to her growing up on the continent - an absolutely backwards place, the old woman would always say. "It's been _nearly_ a year since poor Violetta died. He is _very_ eligible."

Hermione wanted to protest, and say that a year didn't really seem like enough time to mourn a wife you'd been with for nearly two decades, but she didn't want to argue. It seemed that all of the ladies would be dressed in their absolute best, hoping to catch his eye. Why, even Madame Brown had put on her favorite pale pink dress - perhaps better suited to a younger woman - and had her hair coiffed in an immaculate updo.

The bookish brunette wasn't sure if she should feel a bit offended that no one seemed worried about her catching Cygnus's heart.

She _did_ put some effort into looking good for the day, seeing as the first and only time she'd met Cygnus she'd looked an absolute mess, tears pouring down her cheeks. She wore a simple but well tailored dress, and her hair was neatly plaited. She pondered on putting on a bit of makeup, but thought against it at the last moment.

One thing that Hermione did have to take care of before she went off to Black Manor was the scar on her arm. She knew that the Black family wasn't exactly secretive about their views on blood purity. If anyone saw the scar on her arm, she wasn't certain she'd be able to come up with a believable enough lie about why she had it. Knowing that Bellatrix Lestrange - nee Black - was the one who put it there only made her more uneasy.

She'd spent hours at Grimmauld Place trying to find a way to heal the scar, but unfortunately it persisted. At least it no longer bled uncontrollably, but the puckered pink lines were clearly read against her pale skin. In the 1920s, she was able to find significantly more glamour books, and she'd found a glamour that would conceal the scar for several months.

With a deep breath, and a wave of her wand, Hermione watched as the skin of her arm shimmered and glowed, before the pink scar faded away into nothingness. It was odd to see something she'd lived with for so long just gone. Making a mental note to reapply the glamour once a month, just to be safe, Hermione let her dress sleeve roll back down her arm.

"Tommy, are you excited to go to your new home?" Hermione asked, thinking it was probably going to be an exciting adventure for him. In a few weeks, he probably wouldn't even remember what Madame Brown's was like.

The quiet boy looked up from where he was playing on the floor to give Hermione a nod, a solemn look on his face. Hermione sometimes worried that he was such a serious child, but she figured that she was probably like that as well. She'd never been quick to smile, and it hadn't affected her negatively.

Waving her wand, she watched as all of her things and Tommy's things folded themselves and placed themselves neatly into their respective trunks. It was sometimes nice to be a witch, seeing as that would have taken her hours if she was a muggle.

A knock on the door startled Hermione, but she called for whoever it was to come in. Madame Brown slipped in, before wrapping Hermione in a tight hug. "Oh, my darling, I am going to miss you and your handsome young man."

Hermione resisted rolling her eyes, knowing that the older woman did mean well. Even if she didn't care for them enough to allow them to continue to live there. Though, even Hermione knew that this day had been coming eventually. It wasn't as though Tommy could live there for many years, as he was a growing boy. "I will miss you too Madame Brown."

The older woman pulled away from her so that she could look the brunette in the eyes. "Now, dear, I just know this is going to be an excellent opportunity for you. I wish you all the best. You must know that my door is always open to you. Should you find yourself in Knockturn Alley again, please stop by for tea."

Hermione did feel better knowing that she still had an open door at Dowager Brown's Home for Unwed Girls. If anything happened with Cygnus, she felt better knowing that she would have a friendly face here. She wasn't nearly as positive about the job as Madame Brown seemed to be.

"Now, Mr. Black is here. He is waiting in the parlor. Come down as soon as you are ready." Madame Brown moved out of the room, perhaps wishing to get a little more face time with Cygnus before he had to leave.

Picking up Tommy and balancing him on her hip, Hermione used a hovering charm to carry their trunks down the narrow stairs behind her. Leaving the baggage in the entryway, Hermione forged on into the parlor to find her future employer.

Cygnus looked genuinely pleased to see her, if only because she would get him away from the gaggle of girls batting their eyes around him. He looked thoroughly vexed, Hermione thought. He really wasn't much like _her_ Sirius at all, who would have been thrilled at the prospect of flirting with so many young women at once. "Ah, Miss Millefeuille, excellent. Do you have your things? We should get going. Dorea and Marius are very excited to meet you."

Hermione nodded, before leading him into the entryway. Cygnus looked surprised at just the two trunks. "Is this all? Well, very good. Do you mind if we apparate. I assure you it will be much more comfortable than the floo."

Hermione thought that it might just be his preference to not use Madame Brown's floo, which didn't look to be up to Black family standards in terms of cleanliness. Nodding again, Hermione took his offered arm, and held onto Tommy tight. The brief squeezing sensation was brief and not that unpleasant, and when she opened her eyes again, she was standing in the center of a fantastic great room.

She was shocked the say the least, seeing as this wasn't what she'd expected at all. Hermione had been thinking that it would really be more like Grimmauld Place, all dark wood and narrow windows, but instead, it felt very open and spacious.

"Welcome to your new home." Cygnus said, cheerfully.

Hermione felt suffocated. The realization of just how reckless she'd been was finally sinking in. She couldn't believe that she'd just moved in with a completely random stranger. Well, she supposed it wasn't as if he was actually a stranger, seeing as Hermione had a pretty good grasp on what his family was like.

She set Tommy down on the floor, and the little boy, immediately uneasy with the situation, clung to her leg in an effort to get closer to her again. "Why did you hire me, Mr. Black? You don't even know me." Hermione asked, wanting to get to the bottom of their unusual new relationship as possible.

"Please, call me Cygnus. We are living together after all." He said with a suggestive look. Even though he wasn't as tall as Ron, he was still significantly taller than she was, and she could feel him looming over her. "I was looking for a governess, and I assumed that you would be the best person for the job."

"But you haven't even asked for any of my credentials. I could be a terrible witch, for all you know." Hermione argued.

Cygnus gave her a smile that had the barest hint of wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes, as if he was truly amused with her. He was devastatingly handsome in this light, Hermione thought, even if she was still a bit uncomfortable in his presence. "Yes, but you told me you were looking for a job before you even knew that I was looking to hire. That means that I can trust you were being truthful. After all, you had no reason to lie to me."

Hermione supposed she could follow his convoluted logic, even if she didn't necessarily agree with it's soundness. For all he knew, she could have been a petulant little child, whining that she hadn't been offered a job that she didn't rightly deserve.

"Let me introduce you to the children, and then I can show you to your rooms so that you can get settled in." Cygnus said, leading her past the grand staircase to a small room. He pressed open a door only to reveal to Hermione the most stunning library Hermione had ever seen.

The other man chuckled to see her rather visceral reaction she had to the room. "I can see you love the library. If I had any lingering doubts about who should teach my children, this has alleviated it." He revealed.

Hermione felt her cheeks brighten at the observation, holding Tommy a bit closer to her body. Oh, she could just imagine losing hours in this room.

Cygnus walked them over to the large fireplace where two obedient children sat reading their books. He cleared his throat and both pairs of curly heads looked up. "Good afternoon, father." They chorused, obviously curious about the two new people in the manor.

"Children, this is Miss Millefeuille. She is going to help tutor you to get you ready for Hogwarts." Cygnus said, his voice suddenly stern. "You will stand and introduce yourself to her."

The boy stood up first. He was obviously the older of the pair. He had black curly hair that hung to his shoulders and gray eyes that reminded her of Sirius. He had the look of the Black family, Hermione thought privately. "Hello, Miss Millefeuille." He gave a stiff bow at the waist. "My name is Marius Black. I am ten years old and I like potions."

Hermione was amused by his formal introduction. "Pleased to meet you Marius. I also enjoy potions." Hermione tried to wrack her brain to see if she could remember seeing Marius on the Black family tapestry. Obviously he would have been on there, but she couldn't remember anything about him in their library.

The girl stood up next. "Hello, Miss Millefeuille. My name is Dorea Black. I am nine years old and I like transfiguration." The girl gave her a deep curtsey, her long blonde hair falling around her face. When she stood, she was biting her lip looking at Tommy with interest. "Who is the baby Miss? He is so cute. Please, may I play with him."

"This is Tommy." Hermione said, looking down at her son, who was looking out the window, avoiding the other two children in the room. She supposed he wouldn't really connect with children so much older than him. "He is my son." She said firmly, not wanting to explain the complicated relationship she had with the boy to the small girl.

"You may play with Tommy if you finish your studies, Dorea, and if Hermione permits it." Cygnus said, cutting off any further discussion of Tom's parentage. Cygnus turned to face Hermione. "I have two older children, but they are both at Hogwarts right now. Cassiopeia, who is thirteen, and Pollux, who just came of age in February. They are both in Slytherin."

Hermione, remembering that she was not supposed to know much about Hogwarts, schooled her face to look confused. "Slytherin?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose you wouldn't know about that. It was only the best house at Hogwarts. Did you have houses at Beauxbatons?" He asked, his voice sounding haughty, in the way that all Blacks - even Sirius and Andromeda - couldn't seem to shake. Suddenly, some of the attractiveness Cygnus had melted away.

Before she could answer, Dorea butted in the conversation again. "Oh Miss, you went to Beauxbatons? You simply must tell me everything about it!" She asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. All traces of the well-mannered pureblooded girl seemed to fade away.

Hermione smiled. "You may call me Hermione, Dorea. Yes, I was educated at Beauxbatons." The lie was fluid off of her tongue at this point.

"Dorea." Cygnus scolded. "You know better than to interrupt a conversation between adults. I need to show Hermione the rest of the house so that she may settle into her room. Details of Beauxbatons will wait until later." Hermione was glad that she would have time to review the history of Beauxbatons before she had to give the girl any particulars.

Cygnus turned, leading Hermione out of the library. When they returned to the great room, he waved his wand at her trunks, sending them up the stairs. It was not a long walk to a little set of rooms on the second floor. He opened the first door, and Hermione was surprised to see a room clearly meant for a little boy. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of bringing down some of Marius's things from the attic."

Hermione felt her eyes fill with tears at the sentiment. She hadn't known Cygnus for very long, but it was really very thoughtful of him and she felt her heart swell that he was trying to make her _and_ Tommy feel comfortable in his home. "Wow, Tommy, look, it's your own room. You can keep all your toys and your books in here, too."

Tommy, who had been rather quiet and sullen that day, finally gave Hermione a shy smile, at the idea of having something just for himself. Hermione was reminded of the other life that he could have had, living in the orphanage. She thought he probably never had anything that was just his until he went to Hogwarts. Already it seemed like his life with her as his mother had reaping benefits.

She set the small boy down on the floor, before summoning his favorite toy of the moment, a set of paper soldiers. He'd already been using accidental magic to make them march in formations, to Hermione's absolute pride.

Cygnus cleared his throat. "Through his door, there is a bathroom that will connect to your room as well, Hermione." He opened the door, showing off a small, but bright bathroom. Hermione was once again touched by his thoughtfulness. Had he known that she wouldn't want Tommy to be far away?

On the other side of the door was a beautiful room. "This will be your room, Hermione." It had a small sitting area with a couch and a writing desk. The bed was near by a window, with heavy looking, green velvet curtains. The bed itself looked positively cosy, Hermione thought. It was almost double the size of the bed that she'd had at Madame Brown's for the last two years. She was already imagining how nice it would be to snuggle in amongst the pillows.

"It's lovely." She said, surprised at how breathless she sounded. She walked over towards the huge window that dominated the exterior wall. She could see the vast grounds, green and fresh looking, that the manor was located on. "Where are we?" She asked, turning to look at Cygnus.

When she turned, he was giving her an odd sort of half smile, the meaning of which she couldn't quite understand. "Not far outside London, perhaps an hour by train." He told her. Hermione wanted to giggle...in her time, you could take the Underground for an hour and still be in the greater London area. "Please let me know if there is anything else that you'd like for your rooms. I want you to feel at home here."

His words gave her pause, but then she supposed that he was just trying to make her feel comfortable. And really, he had gone above and beyond for her so far. She couldn't deny that she _was_ looking forward to living there. "I will do that."

"Well, I will give the pair of you time to settle in. You can wait to begin your lessons with the children until tomorrow." Cygnus said, stepping closer to her, and bending over to press a kiss against her cheek. Against her wishes, Hermione felt her heart beat a bit faster when she felt how soft his lips were against her skin. Scolding herself internally, Hermione told herself that she should not be feeling anything romantic for her employer. She supposed it was just because he was the first male to give her any attention in nearly three years.

After he left the room, she heard Tommy calling for her from the other room. "Mummy?"

Hurrying through the bathroom, Hermione smiled when she saw Tommy. He wasn't scared, just curious about where she'd gone off too. "Hello, Tommy. Mummy is here. Mummy is just through his door. Should we walk and look at my room?" She asked.

Tommy gave her a little nod, holding up his hand to be held. Hermione took his hand and walked with him through the bathroom and to her own room. He seemed to be just as intrigued by the view from the window as she was. While the little boy was standing on tiptoes to look out at the garden, Hermione suddenly felt very homesick. But if she was longing for her time or for Madame Brown's, she wasn't sure.

Picking Tommy up, so he could get a better view, she took a deep breath. This was good for Tommy, and it would be good for her, she tried to convince herself. At least being close to the little boy made her feel not so sad.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey babes! Hope everything is going well. Just wanted to say thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites and follows on last chapter! I know you all are intrigued to get to know more about Cygnus's intentions and I think this chapter might clear things up, but I will say that it does end on a cliffhanger...so prepare yourself, haha! Though, to ease the pain, you can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story previews and answer questions. HUGE shout out to alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs, who is so so lovely!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter five and be on the lookout for chapter six soon!

* * *

 **May 12th, 1929**

Hermione and Tommy had settled in with the Black family rather well, in the little over a month that they had been together so far. Cygnus often had business in London or at the Wizengamot, so usually Hermione had full run over the manor with Marius, Dorea and Tommy, which was nice. She found both of the children to be pleasant and kind, to her immense pleasure. They both listened to her without argument, and in little Dorea's case, she seemed particularly enamored with Hermione.

For not really being that interested in her own personal appearance, Hermione did enjoy doing Dorea's long blonde hair in different styles every day, after the girl had asked for her assistance keeping the mane out of her face while she studied. Perhaps it was a case of always wanting what you didn't have, but Dorea quite liked to play with Hermione's wildly curling hair, when permitted.

Dorea had also been quite taken with Tommy, and was infinitely patient with him. The little boy wasn't used to having a playmate of any kind, seeing as he was the only child back at Dowager Brown's. She would sit with him, and even occasionally use her budding magic to better enchant some of his toys. Recently, she'd given him a stuffed dragon that he was quite partial to. Hermione thought that the little girl was probably over the moon to have a real life, moving, talking baby doll to play with.

Tommy had been quite put out to not be the center of his mother's attention at all times, and it had taken a while to get into routine so that Hermione could tutor the older children, while he could play in the library. His tantrums at having to share his mummy had decreased to about once a week, but Cygnus had been very understanding so far. He knew that it would take awhile for everyone to adjust to the new system.

She had taken to giving the two children short projects that focused on their self professed favorite subjects. Dorea had wanted to learn about animagi, which Hermione thought was a bit advanced for someone her age, but decided that with proper guidance, a little essay on animagi wouldn't be dangerous. Hermione was still amused when she thought back to her discussion with Dorea.

"Charlus Potter - he's a few years older than me, he went to Hogwarts this year - he said that his father is an animagus, and I told him that it's impossible." The little girl said, excitedly, with tiny hands on her hips, reminding Hermione very much of herself as a child. "But, I want to find out for sure that it's impossible."

"Do you like Charlus, Dorea?" Hermione asked, unable to help but remember that Dorea Black would one day become Dorea Potter. Harry had been chuffed to find that on the Black family tapestry, excited that he had more connection to Sirius than just as his godson.

"No, he's mean!" Dorea said, with an insistent frown on her face. "He never lets me play games with him any more. He said I am too little to play Quidditch and that girls can't play Quidditch anyway." Her little face was so sullen that Hermione felt so badly for the girl. She hoped that Dorea would come to love Charlus in her own time, and that their marriage would be a happy one, and that Cygnus hadn't just decided who she was going to marry, uncaring about his daughter's feelings.

"Well, you might be a bit too young for Quidditch, now." Hermione said, looking at the girl appraisingly. Personally, Hermione hoped that Dorea wouldn't become a Quidditch player, as she knew she would be so worried for her in every game that she played. "But, there is no reason why girls can't play Quidditch. Why, one of my best friends at Beauxbatons was a star chaser on our house team." Dorea had brightened at hearing that.

For Marius, she gave him a simple cheering potion to research the history of, and then she promised him that they would all go looking for ingredients out on the grounds. Marius was a very sullen child, and Hermione wondered if it was because of his mother's death. Cygnus had said that the boy was prone to acting out, though she had seen no evidence of it.

He was very slow to blossom when it came to magic, leading Hermione to believe that potions was his favorite subject, because it might be the only thing he could do reliably. Hermione was very nervous about the boy, but then she remembered Neville. He'd been rather...challenged with magic, until he'd gotten himself a proper wand. She had similar hopes that Marius would grow into a fine young wizard, just like Neville had.

She knew that Marius's lack of magical displays was something that constantly worried Cygnus, as he asked her about it quite frequently.

Hermione had been planning on taking all three of the children out on the grounds today to look for stinging nettles, but it had been pouring rain all day and Hermione thought it was entirely too muddy for her small brood to be tromping around. It was for the better, anyway, as apparently, the whole Black family would be coming that evening for dinner, so there was much to do around the house. She imagined that the house elves would be rather in a tizzy if she was spreading mud all around...it would almost be too ironic.

Cygnus had stopped by her room after breakfast, carrying a parcel, which he gave her. Inside, there were the most gorgeous navy blue dress robes she had ever seen. "Would you wear this tonight to meet my family? They are a rather judgemental group and I would love for you to make a good impression on them."

Hermione was touched by his thoughtfulness, once again, and readily agreed, though his words gave her pause. She wondered why his family's opinion of her would be something that bothered him so, but she figured it was likely just that they wanted to be sure that his children were being properly looked after.

While she was getting ready in the bathroom, taking extra care to style her hair after her a long, steamy shower, though, Hermione let her mind wander to what the man might want. He gave affection very freely, often kissing her chastely on the cheek. She cataloged a whole list of lingering touches and caresses that he'd given her over the past weeks, and the bedroom eyes he'd given her at dinner just last week.

It felt a bit preposterous to Hermione, to imagine that he might be romantically interested in her. She was so plain, barely even able to catch Ronald's eye as a woman, and they'd lived in a tiny tent together for months. Still, she couldn't deny a little thrill at the prospect that he _might_ be interested in her for something more.

There _had_ been one occasion, when he'd come home from a dinner party at the Malfoys', and he'd stumbled into the library to find Hermione completely engrossed in a book. He'd walked her to her room for the evening, and when he stood at the door, hand resting on her hip, his eyes kept straying to her lips. He'd leant down, only to kiss her gently. It was sloppy and a bit wet, but it had sent a zing of heat up to her cheeks.

Cygnus had pulled away then, mumbling an apology to her, before turning and heading up the second set of stairs, to where his bedroom was.

Hermione was positive that he couldn't possibly be interested in her. The one time he'd kissed her, he'd turned tail and left just as fast.

It was a bit odd, she thought, because she wasn't entirely sure if she like Cygnus back. He was a typical pureblooded man, with firm opinions on things. If they were in her time, Hermione knew that they would have driven each other crazy with arguments - much like she and Sirius had. She wasn't sure if that was conducive to a good relationship, though she could imagine that Sirius would say that it was a recipe for good sex. Still, in this time, Hermione had forced herself to hold her tongue more, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to herself.

* * *

By the time that she walked down the stairs to the first floor parlor, with Tommy in her arms, the rest of the Black family was already there. Their voices suddenly quieted when she walked into the room, feeling rather put on display.

Cygnus gave her a broad smile, before stepping over to her side. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You look absolutely lovely, Hermione." It gave her a little bit of reassurance to know that he thought she looked good, and a shiver to run up and down her spine, having his lips so close to her ear.

With his hand pressed against her lower back, he guided her around the room to meet all of his family. The first was the patriarch of the family, Cygnus's older brother Sirius. He really did look an exact replica of the Sirius from her time, only much more refined. She was sure that Sirius would be so disappointed to hear that. She knew that this was the man she was supposed to have met at a party, but Cygnus didn't mention it when they were introduced, to her relief.

Sirius was accompanied by his wife, Hester, a willowy woman with a shock of red hair. They were not joined by their children, as they were all grown with families of their own, or away at Hogwarts. Next, she met Cygnus's mother, Ursula, who had dark auburn hair. If she recalled correctly, this woman was a Flint by birth, though Hermione could see no resemblance to Marcus Flint from her time, who was hulking and large. She looked at Hermione rather like she'd smelled something bad.

Next in line was Cygnus's little sister Belvina, whom Hermione could tell Cygnus rather adored. It was nice to know that there were some good relationships in this manic family. She was rather pretty, with black hair and silver eyes, though her husband - Herbert was not. The man was considerably older than her, with scraggly gray hair and a hunched back. They were accompanied by their young son, Phineas, who seemed of an age with Dorea.

Finally, Hermione met Cygnus's little brother Arcturus and his wife Lysandra. Arcturus was similar to Sirius, only with dark brown eyes. She was surprised that the ubiquitous gray eyes were not a dominant family trait, as she'd previously assumed. They had brought their daughter, Charis, who was about the same age as Marius, just on the edge of heading off to Hogwarts.

She made a joke about probably forgetting their names, as she'd met so many of them, and although Cygnus gave her an encouraging smile, the rest of his family did not seem to find it very funny. Retiring to the dining room, Hermione was eager to get into the wine, knowing that she would need to not take things so personally if she was going to get through an evening with the Blacks.

All throughout the meal, Ursula stared at Hermione while she made certain that Tommy had enough to eat. "It's unseemly that you set your child at the table. You should have fed him separately, before we arrived." The older woman scolded.

Hermione was about to respond that she wished she would have done just that, not realizing the mechanics of the formal dining room, when Cygnus responded. "That is my oversight, mother. I should have ensured that Thomas would have had proper accommodation for dinner." He placed his hand on Hermione's knee under the table and gave it a squeeze.

"So, tell me again about your family?" Sirius asked, looking at Hermione with certain interest, as though she was some kind of specimen or creature in need of examining.

She wanted to shout at them, for acting so snobbish, but she tried to keep her cool. "My father was Albaric Millefeuille, of Marseille. My mother was called Tempeste. They were murdered by Grindelwald." Hermione said, ignoring the outraged gasp from Lysandra.

"And were you raised in France? You speak English very well for someone from the continent." Ursula sniffed.

"Yes, and I attended Beauxbatons." Hermione said, quietly. "My father always ensured that I had the best tutors. I began learning English before I was five." She lied, hoping that no one at the table spoke French. She was sure that she was more than a little bit rusty, though she could carry a conversation.

"And how did you come to live in London?" Hester asked, genuinely intrigued. Hermione was pleased to see that at least someone at the table seemed to like her a little.

"My cousin, Merope Gaunt, wrote to me." Hermione said quietly, her eyes darting to Tom. "She was about to give birth, and wanted someone to be with her for that time. Unfortunately, she passed before I arrived. But, I was able to look after Tom for her."

"You're related to the Gaunts?" Ursula looked genuinely surprised for a moment. Even though the Gaunts were sort of the laughing stock of the wizarding world, there was no hiding the fact that they had _extremely_ pure blood, and that they were related to Slytherin himself. Still, the older woman couldn't resist one little dig. "It seems as if murdering muggles runs in your family. Your grandfather is Luc Millefeuille, is he not?"

Hermione felt her cheeks turn red in embarrassment. She'd been counting on that not being brought up in polite society, and she certainly didn't want to talk about it in front of Tommy when he was so likely to repeat things. Luckily, Cygnus seemed to notice her discomfort. "Perhaps this is a conversation best had without the little ones." He turned to look around the table at the children. "Children, why don't you all go to the library to play. Dorea, will you be a good girl and watch out for Thomas?"

She wasn't worried about handing her son over to Dorea, knowing that she would only be a few rooms away, but Hermione wasn't thrilled about being left alone with the rest of the Blacks. Still, it seemed as if there was no escaping Cygnus's overbearing family.

As soon as the children were gone, Ursula looked much more pleased. "So Thomas isn't really your son, then? He is _Merope's_ bastard?"

"He's not a bastard. Just...his father was a muggle." Hermione didn't want to explain that Tom Riddle wanted nothing to do with her son. "Merope was married to him. And for all intents and purposes, he is my son. I've adopted him, and I won't treat him differently from any other children that I might have in the future." Privately, Hermione thought that she wasn't likely to find love in this time.

"I must say, Cygnus, I am disappointed in you." Sirius said, with a frown. "Living in this house with an unmarried young woman for so many weeks. Really, you should have done the right thing." Hermione was confused by where this conversation was going. Surely, they didn't think anything was going on between her and Cygnus?

"You know I have been saying that the children need a mother, ever since poor Violetta died." Ursula added, giving Hermione an appraising look. "I must say, at first, I thought she was a little plain and perhaps low born, but from today, I can see that Hermione is a well mannered - if not a _bit_ outspoken - shining example of a pureblood girl."

" _And_ now that we know the child isn't her's, that certainly clears up any questions about her reputation." Arcturus said from the end of the table. Hermione thought it was rather bizarre, as he had said almost nothing to her all evening.

Clearing her throat, Hermione looked at Cygnus panicked, before turning again to face the rest of the table. "I'm sorry, I don't think that I understand...what's happening?" She hated the feeling that the "adults" were having a conversation, but she was stuck feeling like a child, knowing they were talking about her, but not understanding a lick of it.

"We are saying that if he is a gentleman, which he should be, if he is a true member of the House of Black," Sirius started, "that he should marry you. Not only is it in the best interest of his children, but it's in your best interest as well. Believe me, there are already... _rumors_ , swirling about in London."

Hermione choked a bit on the wine that she drank to steady herself. Were there really people in London who thought that Cygnus was keeping her here as some kind of...mistress? She couldn't believe that his family was actually suggesting he marry her. They didn't even know if they liked each other as more than passing acquaintances!

"In fact, it will be my command, as patriarch, that you either do the right thing and marry the girl, or send her away with a monthly stipend." Sirius said, crossing his arms over his chest. Hermione suddenly didn't think that he looked so much like _her_ Sirius any more. "Failure to do so would result in removal from the family."

Her eyebrows furrowed together, Hermione tried to remember the family that she was dealing with. These were the children of Phineas Nigellus, and if she weren't mistaken, there was another child - Phineas - who had been blasted off the family tree for being an advocate of muggle rights. She was positive that they were serious.

Cygnus turned to look at her, his face stoic, but his grey eyes looking a bit mischievous. Hermione suddenly felt a bit of dread that Cygnus might have been planning this all along. "Well, Hermione, what do you say? Would you like to get married?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Huge huge thank you to everyone who favoited, followed and reviewed after last chapter! Y'all had a lot to say either pro-marriage or anti-marriage. To the guest reviewer R-U-KIDDING-ME, don't worry - I got you. Hermione is not going to just be some sweet little thing in this, and I hope the explanation at the beginning of this chapter makes sense. Huge thank you to alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter six and be on the lookout for chapter seven soon!

* * *

 **June 1st, 1929**

Hermione stared down at the tiny bouquet in her hands and wondered for the fifteen hundredth time if she was making the right choice. When Cygnus asked her if she would marry him, she had been shocked, and nearly dissolved into tears in front of his whole family thinking about how devious he'd been. She asked if they could speak about it privately, and she was glad he agreed, sending his family away for the evening.

She'd been living in his house for weeks and she'd never once thought about the complications that would cause, even if she was just a governess. She'd wanted to say no, wanted to slap him or punch him and go get Tom and leave with him that night. That was future Hermione though, a girl living in the nineties, a time when there wasn't any stigma of an unmarried girl spending time with boys or men alone.

That's when she realized she'd been so blind to his manipulation, and that she'd walked right into his trap. It was really quite masterful. Any girl in _this_ time would know that her reputation would be absolutely ruined. She could kiss any chance of getting married goodbye and any chance at a job. Every other woman would think she was some hussy coming to steal her husband. If she said no, the stipend that she got wouldn't be much...maybe just enough to provide for her and Tommy, but it wasn't a risk that she was willing to take.

Any woman living in this time period would be a fool to say no to Cygnus Black, and that's what he was counting on. Hermione Granger could object, but Hermione Millefeuille could not.

He'd held her in the parlor after his family had left via floo, all the while her mind was spinning with thoughts and questions. Cygnus told her it was going to be okay, and how thrilled he was that his children were going to have such a loving and thoughtful mother.

In the end, it was the thought of children that made up Hermione's mind. She didn't go back into the past for her sake, she was doing everything she could for Tommy. Being married to Cygnus Black was going to give Tommy a stable life, and with a real father figure in his life. It should be stable and safe. After seeing Cygnus's manner with Marius and Dorea, she had no worries about his parenting. Sure, he could be a little bit brusque sometimes and he wasn't quick with affection, but he was invested in his children's lives and wanted the best for them.

She'd accepted his proposal and the very next day, he'd brought home an heirloom ring a day later. To Hermione's surprise, it was a pearl ring surrounded by tiny emeralds and diamonds. Completely non-traditional, but she thought that it suited.

As much as she'd tried to get Cygnus to push the wedding back, his family hadn't relented and insisted they get married as soon as possible. There wasn't going to be a big wedding, just a simple bonding ceremony with drinks and dancing afterwards for Cygnus's colleagues at the Wizengamot, so they barely needed any time to plan.

Hermione had protested, insisting that they wait until Cygnus's other two children return from Hogwarts, at least, so that they get to know her before she became their step-mother. However, it seemed as though Cassiopeia was spending the summer in France with her enterprising cousin Rosamund Bulstrode - Violetta's niece - and Pollux would be spending his summer with his own family. Cygnus revealed that he'd already written to them so they were aware of the situation, so Hermione tried not to worry about it.

It bothered her a little bit that she hadn't been able to meet his two older children, but really Dorea and Marius had been so lovely about her joining their family a bit more permanently, that she figured it would be alright with the older two. Besides, they were older. They could act like adults and work through things if they weren't instantly best friends.

Ursula had taken over the planning, deciding to have the wedding and reception at the Black family manor, which was in Coventry, to Hermione's surprise. She would have expected that, and it made her a little bit sad to know that a truly vibrant house could be brought down to nothing more than a run down townhouse in Islington, with no remaining male heirs. Hermione reminded herself that this was the result of their own decisions and that inbreeding was certainly a factor.

But, she was brightened by the idea that she might be able to make some positive changes for the Black family, too. After all, she thought that Pollux was Sirius's grandfather - father to Walburga. Maybe she could help ensure that the little girl did not end up as the terrible woman in the portrait.

Shaking from her mind the unpleasant thoughts, Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. Hester - Sirius's wife - had really done a lovely job with her hair, even attaching a long veil to cover her face with. Hermione had managed the makeup, and thought it made her look a bit odd, look a bit too grown up. The brunette realized then that she had grown quite a bit since she'd come into the past. She was twenty-one now.

Her heart beat quicker when she looked at herself in her slightly off-white dress. This _wasn't_ how she imagined her wedding day going, having almost no say in anything that happened and not being in love with the groom. She reminded herself that many people did not marry for love in this time period. Her own grandparents had an arranged marriage and they were the most in love couple she'd known, still going strong after seventy years together.

She and Cygnus respected one another, and there was obviously some attraction there to her blond haired fiance. They were quickly becoming friends and from friendship could come affection, and eventually someday, love. It wouldn't be easy, but if she gave him a chance, she was certain that they could at least be happy together.

Snorting to herself, she thought about how things would have gone if she'd dated Ronald. They would have been at each other's' throats ninety percent of the time, and too timid to do anything else the other ten percent.

No, this would be good for her, and most importantly good for Tom. Shaking off her nerves, Hermione stood to go bind herself to Cygnus Black.

* * *

The ceremony had been short and sweet. It was a simple binding, nothing as dramatic as she'd read about in the Grimmauld Place library once before. Tommy had looked adorable in his tiny dress robes, in Dorea's eager arms. Cygnus looked particularly handsome, but Hermione could still tell that something wasn't quite right. She decided that it was his eyes. She'd always been able to read Sirius's grey eyes, swirling with emotion, but Cygnus's didn't seem to betray anything.

He'd chatted with her quietly at dinner, ignoring his family and colleagues, choosing instead to ask her questions about things that she liked. She thought it was a little bit late to be learning such details about her. They were already married after all. But he also surprised her with a honeymoon - a month's long trip to Italy. Hermione was excited for it, she hadn't been on a vacation in over five years. But she did add questions to the back of her mind. What was she going to do with Tommy while they were gone?

Before she could worry too much about that, though, dinner was cleared and they were all moved to the grand ballroom for dancing. Hermione was completely in awe of the opulence of the Black family manor, knowing that none of this existed in her time.

Cygnus laughed at her reaction to the chandeliers, drawing her attention back to him. It felt nice to be held in his arms while he twirled her around the room. Hermione had determined that Cygnus was soon to be forty, as Ursula had already talked to her about planning his birthday party in August. She felt a bit of comfort to know that he knew what he was doing in this marriage. Still, she didn't like being left out of the joke. "What's so funny?" She asked, confusion clear on her face.

"Oh, just that Bel was worried you might be looking to get your hooks into the Black family fortune...that that was the reason you agreed to take the position." Cygnus told her. Hermione felt a bit offended that her new sister in law was so suspicious of her, thought she supposed it had been unusual. "But clearly you have no idea how wealthy your new family is. I can give you whatever you want, Hermione." His grey eyes were blazing with heat, and it made Hermione's heart skip a beat. Having such a handsome man making such promises to her was certainly heady.

"I didn't...I didn't marry you for your money Cygnus." Hermione said, looking down at his chest, anything to avoid his eyes. "I was just...well, tricked, I guess you could say, into it. I still don't understand why you picked me. You could have anyone you want." This was not coming from poor self-esteem or some false modesty. She really didn't understand why he would pick a parentless woman with no prospects in the country.

Cygnus cleared his throat, looking away from her. "The day that I met you, I had just come from a meeting with Sirius. He'd instructed me to take a new wife. Once I stumbled upon you, you mentioned his name, I almost thought that he'd orchestrated the meeting."

He twirled her around the room, and Hermione found her stomach sinking. She didn't have any illusions that Cygnus was in love with her, but had she really just been too convenient to pass up? "So, I was just in the right place at the right time?" She tried not to let the hurt in her voice bleed through.

"You could say we're star-crossed." He murmured into her ear, before pulling back to give her a conspiratorial smirk. "You were quite pretty, and obviously already knew something about raising children. Then, once you moved in, I found you to be rather tolerable. I didn't worry about the match."

Hermione supposed she couldn't fault his logic, but it didn't seem right for him to tell her this on their wedding day. There was no going back now - till death do you part taken a bit more serious in wizarding bindings.

Before she could think on it anymore, a shorter blond wizard came up. "May I have the next dance with the beautiful bride?" He asked.

Cygnus stopped their motion, and opened up to him. "Hermione, darling, this is my colleague Brutus Malfoy, from the Wizengamot. Brutus, allow me to present my bride, Hermione." He placed her hand in Brutus's, letting him take over dancing duties. "I think I will go find your lovely wife, Brutus."

"So, Cygnus found himself a pretty, young girl from the Continent, then?" Brutus asked her.

Hermione could see few characteristics in Brutus that his descendent Draco would one day possess. Most notable was his white blond hair and pointy features. Brutus didn't carry either trait as well as her former classmate did. "I had been living in England for several years when I met Cygnus." She tried to say respectfully.

"Well, if all of the French girls are as pretty as you are, I understand why he didn't give the good, English pureblood girls a second look." Brutus continued. Hermione felt her blood boil a bit, and wanted to tell him that her looks were due to her muggle parents, but she decided that it wasn't prudent. Instead, her eyes swept the ballroom, looking for a glimpse of Cygnus. She found him pressed tightly to a woman - she assumed Mrs Malfoy - with his hand indecently low on her back.

Suddenly, her future didn't seem as tolerable as it once had.

"Please excuse me, I must dance with my new head of house." Hermione said, wiggling free of Brutus's hold. She really did go look for Sirius, wanting to keep her mind busy for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Hermione had been incredibly nervous to join Cygnus in his bedroom after they floo'd back to his - or, she supposed it was _their_ home, now - home. He'd wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and guided her up the three flights of stairs to one of the only rooms she hadn't intruded into yet.

She _knew_ that consummation of the marriage came next, and though she'd read a lot of the theory and mechanics of sex, she had remained a virgin. And now, she was a bit disappointed to know that her first sexual experience was going to involve Cygnus Black. He would know what he was doing, but he didn't seem particularly giving. Not to mention that their earlier conversation hadn't exactly inspired warm and fuzzy feelings towards him.

He kissed her as soon as he shut the door behind him, and with the lights off, he used fumbled with the back of her dress, eager to get her out of it. Hermione reminded herself that millions of women had gone through this before, and she would get through it too. With any luck, it might feel good for her too. If it didn't...well, what was that old saying, lie back and think of England? She would remind herself that she had other people to worry about than just herself.

As soon as her dress fell, the cold of the room had her shivering. "Eager for me, are you little witch? I've seen the way you look at me." She heard Cygnus chuckle in the darkness, before he pressed his lips against hers again, his tongue sliding between her lips to tangle with her own. He tasted of firewhiskey and little else. In the dark, Hermione could feel herself relaxing against him. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

Cygnus pressed her back against the bed, and Hermione lay as still as possible, listening to the sounds of his breathing and nimble fingers undoing the buttons and clasps of his dress robes, until they fell in a heap to the floor. The bed creaked and dipped when he crawled across the bed towards her, covering her body with his. His hands were warm when he slid him under her slip, up over her thighs and waist, until the bit of silk was over her head.

His hands came to cup her breasts, thumbs working over her nipples, making her gasp into the stillness. He pressed himself against her, his hard cock pressed against her through her knickers, and Hermione realized that she was trembling. "You feel so good, so soft." He said, before pressing his lips against hers again. Hermione closed her eyes tightly, before rocking her hips back against his experimentally.

Groaning, her husband gave up his hold on her and instead, moved his hands down to remove her of the last bit of clothing that was separating them. With her knickers discarded, he covered her body again, using his hand to position himself at her entrance. Hermione tried not to tense, knowing that it would make it hurt more, but she was not prepared for him to just thrust into her, thinking he would be a bit more thoughtful. He groaned, and Hermione was glad that she'd been aroused to the point that the intrusion wasn't painful, just a slight pinch.

His body pressed against her's tightly, Cygnus began to rock his hips, thrusting in and out of her over and over again. It quickly began to feel good to Hermione, but it was by no means some earth shattering experience. She could feel _something_ building inside of her, but she didn't think it would get anywhere near the orgasm that Lavender and Parvati used to giggle about and she had yet to experience. Perhaps it was time for her to...get to know her own body, Hermione thought with a blush.

And then, just as quickly as it started it was over. Cygnus pressed his face into the crook of her neck, groaning loudly, while he gave one final thrust. Pulling back, he lovingly pushed the curly hair out of her face, before giving her one last kiss, before he rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

It was still dark, but Hermione could hear his breathing return to a normal pattern. She heard him chuckling again, and she couldn't help herself but ask. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?" No one had ever told her what to do, so she worried she'd just made some great faux pax.

"No, it's just...you were _actually_ a virgin." Cygnus said, and Hermione could clearly hear the smile on his face. "What an excellent treat. I thought that Thomas was really your son, and this whole story about Merope was just a cleverly designed little plot."

"Why would I lie about that?" Hermione asked, but she already knew the answer to her question.

"What disgraced girl wouldn't?" He countered, letting the question hang in the air silently. Before long, Hermione heard his breathing even out and he began to snore softly.

Feeling hot tears well up in her eyes, Hermione closed her eyes tightly, wanting to remove this whole day from her memory. Suddenly, her grandparents' love coming from an arranged marriage didn't seem like a possibility to her. Cygnus had made a lot of assumptions about her, and she had made many about him as well.

Reminding herself that she didn't marry him for love, she wiped the tears from her eyes. This was about Tommy, and giving him the best possible life. Even if she didn't find love, having a stable and supportive father figure would be worth the sacrifice that she'd made.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed after last chapter! I am so blown away, you guys, its ridiculous. So pretty much everyone hates Cygnus, haha. He was a pretty big jerk to Hermione in the last chapter. Let's see how our girl gets along in this chapter, and how long it is before she gives him a piece of her mind. And you finally get to meet Pollux and Cassiopeia! Exciting! Huge thank you to Kreeblim Sabs for alpha reading this!

I started posting a special valentine's day fic this morning - one chapter a day thru Valentine's day. It's called Saltkin and it's a Snape x Hermione, with a Lily Evans twist, so please check it out if it's your cup of tea :)

Please let me know what you thought of chapter seven and be on the lookout for chapter eight soon!

* * *

 **June 30th, 1929**

Hermione sighed, staring out the window at the Tyrrhenian Sea from their villa in Naples. Her honeymoon had passed by in the blink of an eye. Cygnus had taken her all over the country of Italy - starting in Venice, before taking stops in Milan, Florence, Rome and finally stopping in Naples. She'd never been to Italy before, so she'd been eager to experience everything the culture had to offer.

It was certainly romantic, and it had inspired some new hope into Hermione that she and Cygnus just might make something work. He was endlessly patient with her when she could spend hours in museums - though she always had to be careful not to suggest somewhere that hadn't been built yet - and he seemed to genuinely take delight in her eagerness. It was completely unlike any of the other boys or men she'd fancied back at Hogwarts, except for maybe Viktor.

He'd made sure that his galleons were put to good use, often feeding her elaborate dinners and vintage wines. He would indulge in splitting a dessert with her, if only to feed her whatever morsel he had to offer. Hermione wasn't so blind now that she couldn't see Cygnus's _appreciation_ of her. His eyes were frequently dipping to her lips.

The sex had gotten better from the first night, and Hermione found that he could be a generous lover, once she gave him a little bit of guidence of what she liked. _That_ had taken some figuring out on her part, including one very awkward bath. But, it still wasn't some earth-shattering experience that she would die without.

Cygnus seemed to enjoy it in any case.

He was frequently making odd little comments to her about their chances to be alone together once they returned home. One morning, after waking her up with kisses to her face, and a hard cock pressed between her legs, he whispered how much he was looking forward to the future, while he held her in the afterglow. "Just think, in only a few years Dorea will be at Hogwarts, and we will have all the time in the world to make love. Anywhere in the manor you want to."

Hermione had held in a snort of derision. She wasn't exactly itching to have sex all over the manor, but she wasn't going to deny him the opportunity either. Within reason, of course. "Well, Dorea might be at Hogwarts, but Tommy will still be home."

"Ah, yes. Thomas." Cygnus said, his face a blank slate. "That will take some getting used to I suppose."

She could no longer hold her tongue to his getting Tom's name wrong. "Tom. It's just Tom. Not Thomas." She reminded him, leaving his words on adjustment for another time. Clearly, it was a new step for all of them.

He gave her a tight smile, which reminded her distinctly of Lucius Malfoy. "How quaint." Perhaps it was some look that all purebloods perfected in their youth? He clearly didn't think highly of the muggle that Tom was named after.

Thinking of Tommy again, though, had her eager to get home. Hester had agreed to stay at Cygnus and Hermione's home with the children while they were away. Seeing as she was one of two Blacks that she actually got along with, she was alright with it. Knowing that Dorea would be there to watch over her son, too, made her feel a lot better. She'd given the child extensive instructions on how to reach her if anything went wrong.

Even though she knew Tommy was well looked after, she couldn't pretend as though it didn't hurt to be parted from him. Ever since he was a newborn, they'd been together every day. There hadn't been a time that she hadn't tucked him into his crib or woke up with him in the night if he had a nightmare. There hadn't been a day when she didn't wake him up with kisses and cuddles.

Tommy didn't understand why she was leaving him either, just that she was going away for a while. He'd thrown a fit worthy of the record books, screaming and crying so hard that Hermione almost told Cygnus that she couldn't go with him to Italy.

Instead, he told her that all children suffer from some separation anxiety, and it was good to get it out of the way while he was younger. After all, he was going to have to go to Hogwarts one day and he wouldn't be allowed to stay with his mummy while he did that.

In any case, she was so excited to get back to her son and hold him in her arms for all hours. She'd purchased a nice set of silver jacks for him, and she couldn't wait to watch him play with them. It was odd, she thought, to miss him so much. These days it was nearly impossible to reconcile this wonderful child with Lord Voldemort of the future. She couldn't imagine that he would ever become a Dark Lord, when he was just so sweet to her.

But, Hermione also couldn't have imagined herself becoming so attached to Tom Riddle when she was back planning in Grimmauld Place. If anything, she was worried that she would be able to set aside her anger and hatred for Lord Voldemort when she was dealing with Tommy. Glad that things seemed to be working out, Hermione waved her wand to pack her trunk up. The sooner she was done, the sooner she'd get back home to Tommy.

* * *

 **December 20th, 1929**

Hermione had been hurrying around the manor all afternoon, trying to burn off all the nervous energy she had. Today was the day that she was finally going to meet Cygnus's two older children, and she was absolutely dreading it. She could already feel that they were going to destroy the delicate balance that they'd grown into over the past months.

All in all, things didn't change that much for Hermione's day to day life, except that she was sharing a bedroom with Cygnus now. She hated to be so far away from Tommy, but he'd been moved into a room near to Dorea's and he didn't seem to mind, so Hermione was trying not to be too overbearing. She still spent most of her days tutoring Dorea and Marius in their studies. She'd also begun to devoting some time every day to begin teaching Tom about numbers and letters. He was _very_ advanced for her age.

She was also able to take the children to do some more fun things now that she was their mother as well. They could go on little day trips, like when she'd taken them to the beach at Brighton for the afternoon. Both Dorea and Marius had been impressed that their new step-mother seemed to know so much about how the muggle world worked, and they loved ice cream. Cygnus was less thrilled to hear that his children had been out consorting with muggles.

Cygnus still spent a lot of time at the Wizengamot, but now Hermione was actually invited along to the dinners that he was invited to. To her immense disappointment, they weren't nearly as interesting as she thought it would be. All the other wives treated her poorly, both because she was from France and because she was a second wife. Honestly, it wasn't as if Hermione had killed Violetta Black in order to get her hooks into Cygnus! But that's how they treated her nonetheless.

Despite initially thinking he wasn't one, her husband turned out to be in incorrigible flirt, enough to give even Sirius Black from her time a run for his money. She wondered if this was a harmless family trait, too, like constellation names and grey eyes. So far, she wasn't worried.

Her husband had only been too pleased to see the way she was...looking forward to meeting his children. Perhaps he mistook her nervousness for excitement. Whenever she tried to bring up any of her worries - that their mother hadn't been gone very long, that he'd married her without their consultation - he tried to brush her concerns away with a passionate kiss and promises that they would love her. Dorea and Marius did, after all.

Hermione had her doubts. Marius and Dorea were still children. Pollux was an adult and Cassiopeia was in that nebulous teenager phase. She didn't think it would be an easy joining of family that Cygnus had envisioned.

Wanting to avoid a public row, Hermione had elected to stay home with the children while Cygnus picked them up from the train station back from Hogwarts. Picking up Tommy, she walked from room to room trying to make sure that everything was perfect. She'd decorated nearly every room to try and get things in the Christmas spirit, but she hadn't touched Cassiopeia or Pollux's rooms, not wanting to intrude. Instead, she had their very pushy house elf air them out.

Tommy placed one of his tiny hands on her cheeks. "Mummy scared." He said, quietly, looking at her with such worry in his little blue eyes. Over the years, they'd become such a dark blue, not at all like the grey that the Blacks seemed to possess. Hugging him tighter against her body, she was so touched that he was trying to comfort her, but she didn't want to make him worried, either.

Giving him a big kiss on the cheek, Hermione did her best to put on a big smile. "Mummy isn't scared, Tommy. I am just a bit nervous. Today you will meet your two other step-siblings." The convoluted family dynamics were almost not worth explaining to the boy, but he seemed to understand that he had a special bond with the Black children.

"Dorea?" He asked, having formed a special bond with the girl. She always knew how to play the best games and sometimes she would even slip him a chocolate. It was no secret that Dorea was his favorite of the two Black children. At least, Marius didn't seem to mind. He was incredibly introverted, and it made Hermione a bit concerned. She so wanted Marius to be happy and carefree, like a child should be.

"Yes, like Dorea. Dorea's brother and sister. Pollux." She said, enunciating every letter so he could understand.

"Poll." Tommy tried, not quite able to make the 'x' sound yet.

Hermione smiled down at him anyhow, wanting to reinforce him trying new things. "Very good, Tommy. Pollux. And Cassiopeia." Hermione giggled at his concerned little face, as he seemed to be giving her a look that he thought the name was impossible to pronounce. "We might have to practice that one, hmm, Tommy?" At first, Hermione thought that her son wasn't very expressive, but it turned out that his face had all sorts of subtle nuances to show off what he was feeling. As his mother, it didn't take her long to figure out what was what.

Hearing the large grandfather clock in the library clang the time, Hermione realized that her husband would be back soon. "We better go wait to greet them." She said, giving Tommy one last kiss on the head. His dark hair had just a bit of curl, but it was nearly black in its color. "Dorea! Marius! Time to come down to the parlor!" Hermione shouted up the stairs, before proceeding down to the parlor to wait.

She was a bit surprised that neither Dorea nor Marius seemed thrilled to be welcoming their elder siblings home. She wondered if she could be concerned about it, but seeing as she didn't have a lot of experience with sibling relationships, she decided to let it go for now.

Cygnus was the first to come through the floo, followed by a girl and then a young man. "Cassiopeia, Pollux, I would like you to meet your new mother. Say hello to her." He instructed in that stern tone of his.

Hermione instantly blushed, seeing the unmasked contempt on their faces as they each moved forward to press a continental kiss on her cheeks. "Please, call me Hermione." She said, stumbling over her words. "If you prefer." She added on. She didn't want either of them to feel as if she'd taken over the spot of their mother, but she wouldn't be upset if they called her that either. Marius and Dorea still called her Hermione.

Looking over the pair, there was no doubting that they were of the Black family. Cassiopeia wore her long black hair in two tight braids, though the ends indicated that it was just as wavy as her father's. Her grey eyes were dull and calculating, but it did little to diminish the womanly beauty she already possessed.

Pollux on the other hand, looked almost nothing like his father, and if Hermione didn't know they were related, she wouldn't have thought it, though she supposed Cygnus was the...blond sheep in the Black family. His look was rather severe - dark hair perfectly coiffed and his eyes such a dark grey they could nearly be called black. He stood a few inches taller than his father, and she could practically feel the tension in him ready to snap.

The teenage boy - half way through his final year at Hogwarts - stared at Tommy at her hip. Perhaps as uncomfortable as she was, Tommy tucked his face to hide in her shoulder. Turning to face his father, Pollux did little to hide the sneer on his face. "Father, you didn't tell me that the girl had a child." Hermione thought he would have had other choice words for her had she not been standing there. Still, she bristled at being called a girl by someone several years younger than she was. Suddenly, it didn't seem so surprising that this man could have sired Walburga.

"Tom is Hermione's cousin. After his mother died, she was so generous as to see him looked after." Cygnus responded diplomatically.

Hermione still rankled at the term. "Tom is my son now. I've adopted him." She said fiercely, not wanting anyone to delegitimize why he was with her.

"I see." Pollux said simply, before letting the silence stretch between them. Already, they were off on the wrong foot.

Shaking off her annoyance, Hermione needed to get them moving so that they could hopefully move on from this awkward introduction. "Shall we move to the dining room? I understand that Opal has prepared all your favorites." She told the older pair of children. Opal, the old house elf, had told Hermione that she would handle all the cooking for the pair's return.

Nodding stiffly, the seven of them moved into the dining room, where only a few months ago, Cygnus had asked her to marry him. It was not long before generous helpings of duck and wild rice in front of them. Pollux seemed content to ignore her, but Cassiopeia couldn't help but needle her. "So, Hermione, you are from France?"

"Yes, I grew up in France." Hermione responded, not wanting to give away too many extraneous details, lest someone see through her ruse. "I understand that you visited your cousin in France this summer?" She inquired, hoping that a bit of small talk would ease the tension in the room.

Cassiopeia ignored the question, and began pressing for more details, though. "Where did you complete your schooling? I understand that you are tutoring Marius and Dorea. I wouldn't want them to pick up any bad habits and then have them feel out of place at Hogwarts." Her voice was icy and calm, and though Hermione was certainly able to pick up on the heat in her tone.

"Like the way you cut your food." Pollux said with a smirk.

It had taken Hermione a while, but she had begun to hold her silverwave in the continental style, hoping to blend in with the culture she was supposed to be from. She looked at Cygnus pleadingly, wishing that he would say something. They were his children after all. He shouldn't let them get away with disrespecting his wife so much. Finally, he seemed to understand what their silent conversation was about. "Children, be _respectful_ of Hermione."

"I went to Beauxbatons." Hermione told them cooly, not willing to comment on Pollux's open insult. "It was a lovely school. I am sure it is not that much different from Hogwarts." Hermione was suddenly feeling a bit over her head, that maybe she wasn't quite cut throat enough to last in pureblood society.

"How did you hear about my father's fortune?" Pollux asked next, giving her a smirk over the table. Hermione hated that Cygnus's whole family thought that she was somehow after their money, when all she'd been looking for was a job.

Putting down her fork, she looked at the boy head on. "Actually, I was just working her as a governess. I didn't know about your family's wealth, other than that your father was willing to pay me, and provide me with room and board." She stared him down, wanting to reveal how she'd been tricked into this. "It was _your_ uncle who insisted that we get married."

Cassiopeia looked at her in awe, before her face dissolved into a malicious grin. "Oh, she is so stupid!" She said, peeling with laughter. "But then again, I suppose only a French woman wouldn't think it was odd for an unmarried man and woman to live together!"

Cygnus, finally finding it in himself to take control of the situation, pounded his fist on the table. "That is enough, Cassiopeia. You will go to your room immediately and you won't come out until you apologize to Hermione."

"But, papa! Opal made my favorites - that means Peach Melba for dessert." The spoiled girl whined, clearly not having expected that her father would side with Hermione. Hermione resisted the urge to smirk at her, knowing that it wasn't very ladylike _or_ age appropriate, but she was excited to realize that she'd won. This round.

"But nothing. Leave, now." Cygnus said, pointing towards the door. The girl grit her teeth, and if Hermione wasn't wrong, she thought she say tears sparkling in her grey eyes, but she left without another word. Cygnus turned to Pollux, and looked at him with annoyance. "Anything else to say from you?" He needled.

"No, sir." Pollux responded looking down at his plate.

"Good, then you can tell me how your mid-year exams went." Cygnus told him, before drilling him on all the subjects that he was taking. It was good to see him take such an active role in his children's schooling, but at the same time, she was a bit concerned by how harsh he'd been.

Looking around the table at all the sullen faces, she wondered if every family event for the rest of her life would be this tense.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad you are liking this story. So many of you want Hermione to have a happy ending. This is going to be a really really long story (like 45 chapters), so there will be some ups and downs along the way. It can't all be happy :) so I hope you all will stick with me through the sad bits. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge shout out to wonderful alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs! Have you read her fic Spectacular Adventures? It truly is spectacular :)

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eight and be on the lookout for chapter nine soon!

* * *

 **December 23rd, 1929**

The atmosphere at the manor had gotten a little bit better the day after Pollux and Cassiopeia came home. Pollux left that morning to go stay with his family, which Hermione learned meant his wife. She was a bit...concerned, to say that least, to learn that Pollux already had a wife at age seventeen, and had been married to her for at least over a year, but she was waiting to judge the other woman until she met her.

Cassiopeia had begrudgingly asked Hermione's the following morning, if only because she learned that Opal had made fluffy Belgian waffles, and she couldn't imagine not eating them. Cygnus looked on proud at his oldest girl when she offered her new stepmother a tentative hug.

Though relations between Hermione and Cassiopeia had thawed a bit, Hermione still got the impression that the younger girl was never going to like her, and was never going to take any of the good advice that Hermione had for her, even if it would help her. She'd had such high hopes after seeing how much Dorea was growing to care for her, but she supposed that Cassiopeia was at a delicate age. She'd told the girl that she hoped that someday they could become friends.

Tommy's behavior was making Cassiopeia warm up a lot to the idea of having a step brother. Though he usually played with Dorea or Hermione, she had seen him try to climb up onto a couch that Cassiopeia was sitting on, only to be unable to reach on his own. His polite request to be lifted up, in his little baby voice, had made the girl's stern face soften a bit, and she'd even read the book he'd been toting around to him. It had made Hermione smile, but she knew Cassiopeia would deny it if she ever mentioned it.

Just when it had seemed like all of them had settled into a rhythm, though, they were disturbed by a planned trip to stay with Pollux's family. She understood that his wife, Irma, had just had a child only a few months prior, leading Hermione to tease Cygnus mercilessly when they were tucked into their covers before bed. "You didn't tell me that you were a _grandfather_ when you asked me to marry you. How do you expect to keep up with me old man." He'd tickled her sides, making her squeal and laugh, until she begged him to stop, before showing her just how virile he could be.

Hermione hadn't known what to expect for her first Christmas as a Black, especially because Dorea told her that they usually celebrated at the manor. Still, she packed dutifully for herself and Tommy, ticking down the hours to when they would be leaving. She was more than a little bit nervous, but she tried to swallow her fears, knowing that Cygnus would be with her and that, if all else failed, she was a _very_ capable witch, and the whole family seemed to underestimate her.

When the twenty-third of December finally dawned, bright and crisp, Hermione was ready to just get it over with, and gathered the children before piling in front of the Floo with Cygnus. He pressed a kiss to her forehead while handing her some Floo powder. "It's Grimmauld Place." He enunciated clearly.

She couldn't stop her sudden intake of breath, but Hermione hoped that he didn't notice her recognition of the little townhouse. Everything clicked into place in her mind - Walburga's portrait shouting about the pollution of the house of her father. Hermione supposed that it made sense, but she hadn't mentally prepared to return there. Waiting for Marius and Dorea to go through, she tried to collect herself, before she followed through.

An old house elf - not Kreacher, thank Merlin - took their bags from them, before shuffling off to whichever rooms they were staying in. Hermione looked around quickly. The townhouse was certainly new, gleamy and shiny, but it was still just as dark and oppressive as she'd remembered it when she'd stayed there before fifth year. She shuddered at the thought of growing up her.

A pleasant sounding hello greeted them, and Hermione looked up to see who she assumed was Pollux's wife. She had long red hair, with plain brown eyes and a pinched looking mouth. Hermione would place her at a few years older than she was, and she had the air of someone who was quite pretty as a teenager, but whose beauty had since faded with time.

Hermione smiled back, greeting the woman as well. Cygnus went on to introduce the pair of them, and it was indeed Pollux's wife, who was called Irma. Apparently, she was from the Crabbe family, and Hermione could see _traces_ of Vincent Crabbe in her face. She was once again reminded of how interconnected all of the pureblood families were, and she found herself a little disgusted.

The baby that was held tightly in Irma's arms began to get a little bit fussy, drawing in Hermione's attention. Irma, sensing Hermione's interest, offered the bundle to her. "Would you like to hold him? I will just go have one of the house elves prepare his bottle."

Sitting down on the couch in the parlor, Hermione happily took the baby, Tommy nestled closely to his side. She looked up to see Cygnus smiling proudly down at the picture that they made. Her heart clenched a bit, and it made her think about what it would be like to give Cygnus a baby. They'd agreed to use contraceptive charms until Tommy was five, after much discussion on their honeymoon, but seeing how doting he was made her rethink her commitment to that promise. "What's he called?" She asked her husband, gentley.

"Alphard." Cygnus said, his chest puffing out a bit.

Hermione's eyebrows raised, though she did not betray that she knew anything about the baby. Internally, she was surprised to learn that _this_ baby was the uncle who left all his money to help out runaway Sirius Black. He didn't look like much right now, with his light brown hair and grey eyes searching her face. She used a finger to gently rub on his chubby little cheeks. Turning to Tommy, she tried to give him a little instruction. "This is Alphard, Tommy. We must be very careful with him because he is just a little baby. Very fragile."

Tommy gripped her arm tightly. "Mummy! Play with me." He said, so earnestly, his dark blue eyes looking up at her with _such_ urgency that it nearly made her laugh.

"In a minute, Tommy. We have to wait for Aunt Irma to come back with a bottle for Alphard." She said, knowing that it was important for Tommy to learn patience at this age. She certainly didn't want him to end up being spoiled.

As if her ears were burning, Irma swept back in the room and happily took back her baby. Dorea was feeling a bit antsy, probably eager to play as well, came over to the couch. "Come on, Tommy, let's go play with Wally." She said, eagerly. "You can come too, Hermione!" The girl said brightly.

Happy to accompany them into the other room, Hermione wondered briefly who Wally could be. Perhaps they had a krup or some other kind of pet. She'd never seen a krup before in real life, so she was holding out hope that it was one of those.

As soon as she entered the room, she knew that she'd been horribly mistaken. The room was decorated for a little girl and the girl in question was playing with a beautifully decorated dollhouse in the middle of the room. Dorea helped Tommy walk over to her, before plopping down on the floor and began introductions between the pair of children, who seemed to be the same age.

"Wally, this is Tommy, my new step-brother. And that's Hermione." Dorea said brightly, before picking up a miniature doll and making it walk about the hard wood floor.

Hermione felt herself get a little bit dizzy while the pieces fell into place. This little blond girl was none other than Walburga Black, mother to Sirius and Regulus. Only...she was disturbed to learn that the girl was only three. She did the math on Pollux's age and thought that she might get sick. "Dorea, is Walburga Alphard's big sister?" She asked, cautiously.

The nine year old didn't seem bothered to learn that Hermione knew her _niece's_ full name without introduction, before nodding and telling her that Wally had just turned four.

"I am not feeling well. I am just going to go lie down for a minute. Will you watch over Tommy?" She asked, not waiting for an answer, knowing that he was in good hands. Instead of laying down, she marched back down to the parlor, seeing Cygnus, Pollux and Irma in polite conversation that did seem a little bit stilted at the least. "Cygnus, may I speak with you in private?" She asked, not caring if she was breaching some kind of etiquette.

Seeing her unusually pale face, and worried eyes, Cygnus jumped up from the chair he was sitting in, wrapping an arm around her middle and leading her back up the stairs to the guest room they would be sharing.

Once they were alone, Hermione pulled his arm off of her body, before pushing him back to sit on the bed. Taking out her wand, she began creating a complex web of spells to ensure that they would be overheard or disturbed. When she turned back around, Cygnus was looking at her in absolute shock at the display of magical prowess. "How-was that a spell of your own creation?"

"How long have Pollux and Irma been married?" She asked, letting the seriousness bleed into her tone.

"Four or five years now." Cygnus said, confusion evident on his face.

Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes when she thought of Pollux. "Please tell me Pollux isn't Walburga's father, Cygnus. Please...she's four and that means he would have been thirteen...maybe even twelve, and Irma would have been a decade older than him." Her breathing was labored while she struggled to wrap her head around the situation.

"Hermione-" Cygnus tried to calm her, standing and leading her to sit next to him on the bed, but her tirade couldn't be stopped.

"How could this happen, Cygnus? You are supposed to be his _father_. You are supposed to protect him, and he was _married_ and maybe even...you can't just put children that young into sexual situations, Cygnus." She scolded, feeling so sorry for Pollux. "How? How did you let this happen?" She knew that she was getting rather hysterical, but she couldn't stop.

Cygnus's cheeks turned a bit pink, but he spoke firmly. "Pollux is _not_ Walburga's father."

"Well then who is?" She asked desperately.

"I am." Cygnus said, looking down in his lap. "Irma was my mistress. And when she fell pregnant, well...something had to be done. Pollux understood that it was his duty to the family."

Hermione was a bit dumbfounded, realizing that her husband had many more secrets than she thought. "Then...how did he think Walburga came about?" She asked, if knowing that he wasn't the one that fathered Irma's baby.

"I am fairly certain Pollux still thought that babies were delivered by stork at that time." Cygnus said with a sneer, that surprised Hermione. "Listen, I know it was wrong, but I didn't see any other alternatives. It was one of the last things my father commanded as Head of House before he died...I learned from the best I suppose."

She was confused by his statement, only until Cygnus explained to her that although he had been betrothed to marry Violetta Flint from a young age, his father hadn't been able to help himself and had begun an affair with his future daughter-in-law. "I am not even sure if Pollux is my child." He revealed, with a grimace. "But I love him as if I had no question. Pollux will do that same with Walburga."

Hermione stared down at her lap, unsure of what she was meant to think. "And Alphard?" She asked softly, unable to look at him.

The question hung in the air silently for a few beats, before Cygnus sighed and ran a hand through his wavy hair. "Alphard is mine as well." He revealed quietly.

"I thought...I thought you said Irma _was_ your mistress...when did it stop?" She felt tears form in her eyes again at the idea of her husband sleeping around. He might be a flirt and she might not love him, but she couldn't handle the thought of him being unfaithful to her.

He cradled her face between his hands, tilting her face up to meet his grey eyes. "I cut it off with her a few months before I met you. And I promise you that I haven't even considered being with her again since you graced my life with your presence, Hermione." He looked at her so seriously, pouring emotion into his words that she didn't think he was capable of. "And I promise that I won't ever again. You can trust me."

She wanted to argue with him, to ask if Violetta had received the same promise, to remind him that she was going to have to face her husband's mistress at _every_ family function, but instead she just shut her eyes tightly, nodding. She _wanted_ to believe him. She wanted to believe that her husband could be faithful and that they still had a chance. That they could still grow to love each other.

Cygnus wiped the tears away from her cheeks, before capturing her lips a sweet kiss. Hermione felt her heart skip a beat when she realized that this might have been the most _real_ conversation she'd ever had with him.

* * *

 **December 31st, 1929**

Tommy's first birthday as part of the Black family was sure to be spectacular. Hermione felt a little bit odd about spending Cygnus's money, but he was constantly reminding her that it was just as much hers as it was his. He was always laughing at how low-maintenance she was compared with Violetta, which would make her blush and scold him for speaking ill of the dead.

Still, she couldn't deny that it would be nice to have loads of galleons to get Tommy whatever he wanted that year, rather than scraping together all the bits and pieces she could find to buy him an orange, as she'd done the previous year.

She'd kicked Opal out of the kitchen, much to the house elf's chagrin, in order to make a cake with Tommy, Dorea and Marius. She'd invited Cassiopeia as well, but the girl just sniffed her nose, before turning tail and hiding in her room. Apparently she was very put out that her father had not given her permission to go to the Malfoy's Annual New Year's Eve ball.

The cake - Hermione had picked German chocolate, as that had always been her father's favorite - was not particularly beautiful, but Tommy was excited to get his hands messy and help her decorate. Marius was very surprised to learn how much cooking was like potions, and watched on in wonder while the cake rose in the oven. Dorea was a bit hopeless when it came to the cooking, but with Hermione double checking all of the girl's measurements, she was hoping that the cake would be edible.

Cygnus had surprised her by telling her that he had a surprise present for Tommy after the formal dinner he insisted on serving. She knew that he was a bit awkward around Tommy, but she was hoping that this was a sign that he was warming up to the little boy. After all, he just wanted to be loved above anything else.

The dinner was a success, with even Cassiopeia cracking a smile when she saw Tommy's face covered in chocolate cake, though she had complained about needing to sing Happy Birthday to the little boy. "How positively muggle." She'd sneered at Hermione. Still, the girl _was_ getting better, without Pollux there to add fuel to the fire.

It had been fun to watch the three year old boy tear into his presents, gleefully. Hermione knew it was the first time that her little boy had ever received a _pile_ of presents, all wrapped immaculately in green and silver paper. She'd gotten him some new books, and a few puzzles, wanting to keep it educational. Marius and Dorea surprised her, as they had chipped in to get him some sweets - a packet of sugar quills, some pepper imps, and a beautiful dragon stuffed animal toy. She'd felt tears well up in her eyes to see how happy it made Tommy, and she thanked the children for their kindness.

Once dinner was completed, Cygnus ushered them up to the top floor of the manor, where there was a room with a balcony overlooking the vast green lawn. He'd arranged some seats up there for them, and had obviously prepared for the cold temperature by placing several warming charms. Hermione sat down with Tommy on her lap. She gave the little boy a squeeze. "You are getting to be such a big boy, Tommy. I might not be able to have you sit on my lap for much longer." She teased.

Tommy gave her that worried look, the one where he took everything so seriously, like he couldn't imagine being separated from her. "No! Mummy!" He contorted himself around in her lap so that he could return the hug.

Cygnus sat down next to her, before wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders, giving her some more warmth. "Are you ready for your present Tommy?" He asked, seeing the little boy give him a shy smile and nod. "May I present to you," Cygnus said, with a flourish of his wand, sending a spell shooting across the lawn, "your own, private fireworks show!"

The first boom made Tommy jump, but he was quickly enthralled by the crackle and sparkle of each of the fireworks. Hermione watched in awe as the magical fireworks put on an impressive show, two dragons battling, sending red and gold flames out of their mouths at one another. Tommy squealed and giggled along eagerly, clearly loving his present.

Hermione felt her heart soften at just how wonderful her little family had made Tommy feel that day. _This_ was the kind of life she wanted to give him. Turning to look at Cygnus, she found him staring at her face. He gently pressed his lips to her's over the top of Tommy's head. Hermione pulled back, smiling at him. "Thank you." She whispered.

She was excited to see what the next year had in store for her and Tommy.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Holy cow, over 400 reviews! I can't even believe it. I know y'all are excited to see bits of "real" Hermione, and I promise she will show off her BA side in this story. Right now, she is just hinting at it. Also, I know that a lot of your aren't pleased with Cygnus - I hope that you all will stick with it, and see this story out. This is definitely a darker story, but please know I am basically incapable of not writing a happy ending. Huge shout out to alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs, who is amazing!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter nine and be on the lookout for chapter ten soon!

* * *

 **March 16th, 1930**

Hermione had been counting down the days to this moment since she'd first met Marius. She was so excited for his eleventh birthday, when he would finally get his Hogwarts letter and more importantly, his wand. She was so looking forward to taking him into Diagon Alley, to visit Ollivander's wand shop, and find the wand that responded to him.

She'd been telling him all about the first time she'd held a wand, although her story had to be a bit embellished to account for her supposed French origins. Marius had lit up at the stories, and he was actually becoming just as excited as she was. Hermione so hoped that he would finally be able to exhibit some stronger magic, and maybe broaden his horizons outside of the world of potions, which he'd been shunted into.

All throughout the year, she reminded herself of Neville and how weak his magic had seemed to quell not only her own fears, but Cygnus's as well. He'd confided in her that he was worried Marius was a squib. But her words seemed to calm his fears for a while, until of course, March had rolled around. As soon as it was Marius's birthday month, her husband and been notably on edge, counting down the days to when he would get final proof on if her step-son would be going to Hogwarts.

Knowing that the owl post generally came in the morning, Hermione had arranged with Opal to prepare a feast for breakfast, wanting it to be a celebration of all the possibilities that lay ahead of Marius. The house elf had been only too happy to help, making mounds of fluffy eggs, bacon and rashers, and hashbrowns.

Hermione had instructed Marius to sit at the head of the table, where his father normally sat, seeing as he was the birthday boy, and little wizards only turned eleven once. When Cygnus joined the family around the table, he gave Hermione a tight smile, his obviously anxious, too anxious to even say anything when his son was in the sport normally reserved to him.

She didn't realize that she'd been holding her breath until the owl swooped in with the post. She'd received an invitation to Ursula's annual garden party, while Cygnus had a pile of mail waiting for him. Hermione felt her eyes glued on Marius's stricken face when he realized that he hadn't gotten anything, and she felt her heart rate rise dramatically. She knew that she couldn't remember much about Marius from the family tree, but it wasn't possible that…

The boy began to sniffle and cry, until his body was shaking with huge sobs. Cygnus's face had gone a bright red color as the realization was sinking in, what he'd believed for years, that his son might just be a squib after all. "Perhaps the school owl was held up." Hermione said hesitantly. "We should wait and see, it might arrive later today."

"Hermione, stop giving the boy false hope." Cygnus said bitterly. "You've already done enough, with this celebration. Celebration that he's a fucking squib!" He slammed a fist on the table and Hermione jumped, unaccustomed to seeing this kind of rage in her husband.

"Cygnus, do not raise your voice in front of the children." Hermione scolded, seeing that both Dorea and Tommy were on the verge of tears, neither one of them really understanding what was happening. "Marius is your son and we will figure something out."

"No son of mine is a squib!" Cygnus announced, before standing up from the table, his chair falling back behind him, in his haste to get out of the room. He stomped away, and Hermione knew in her gut what he was going to do.

Chasing after her husband, out of the dining room, and towards the parlor which held their massive family tapestry, Hermione tried calling after him, trying to get him to stop before he did something that he would regret. When she caught up with him, he was standing in front of the tapestry, wand raised. Throwing herself between him and the wall, Hermione glared at him. "Wait, Cygnus. We need to talk about this."

She could see that his own grey eyes were filled with tears, even though his face was the picture of rage. She knew that he'd been dreading this, but it was something that they could work through. "You told me that everything would be fine with Marius. But he's a fucking squib! I can't imagine any worse embarrassment."

Hermione knew that he was feeling a lot of complex emotions. In pureblood society, being a squib was infinitely worse than being a blood traitor. Marius's acknowledged existence could mean that Dorea and Cassiopeia wouldn't be able to make a match, if the other pureblood families thought that they didn't have good blood. But she hoped that there was some paternal part of Cygnus that still realized that Marius was his child. "Marius loves you, and I know that you love your son as well."

"Marius is no son of mine. Now step aside, Hermione." He said, his voice deadly even, and Hermione realized that she'd never seen this side of her husband before. He was scaring her a bit, but she knew she had to stand up for Marius. No one else would.

"Please, Cygnus." Hermione begged, grabbing onto his wand arm. "What are you going to do, just kick him out?"

Cygnus seemed to snap in that moment, grabbing her arms so tightly she was certain she would have bruises. He shook her back and forth while he spoke, trying to get each and every word to sink in. "Don't you understand you've done enough damage, Hermione? You've given the poor sod hope all year. But listen, he isn't your child, and I will decide what is best for him."

Pushing her aside from the tapestry, he didn't spare Hermione a second look when she stumbled over her own feet, falling backwards. Hermione watched through tears as Cygnus blasted Marius's name off the family tree. She was shocked to feel the pain of the blood magic severing its tie between the young boy in the dining room and the Black family.

When he was finished, Cygnus let out a deep, shattering breath. He rubbed a hand across his face, and all the tension left his body, before leaving the room. She wasn't sure how long she sat there on the ground of the parlor, but when she got up, all traces of Marius had been completely removed from the Manor, and her husband wouldn't tell her where he'd taken his son.

 **June 2nd, 1930**

Cassiopeia had only been home for a day, but already Hermione had found the girl's presence to be draining. It seemed that any baby steps they'd taken to getting along over the Christmas holidays were completely erased during her time back at Hogwarts. She seemed to think that she was some kind of hot commodity, perhaps because of the upcoming social season that dominated the summers in pureblood circles. Hermione had been spared the season the previous summer, as she and Cygnus had spent the summer on their honeymoon. It seemed that pureblood society was just a series of parties. Sometimes she wondered just how much everyone would be able to accomplish if they put half the time they spent planning parties into causes of actual worth.

This would be the first summer that Cassiopeia could join the parties, and she'd been so eager to have a new dress tailored for her birthday, as her father had promised her. Cygnus was a bit of a pushover when it came to his older daughter and Hermione privately wondered if it had something to do with what he'd revealed about not being sure if Pollux was his child. Cassiopeia was his first child in his eyes.

She knew that Cygnus was also under a lot of pressure to begin making a match for his two daughters. It was a bit unusual that Cassiopeia was already fourteen and didn't have a match to hear of. Privately, Hermione thought it was better to have the girls decide to marry who they loved, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing that it would be an outlandish and unwanted suggestion at this time.

"At least that horrid boy is done clouding my chances at making a match." Cassiopeia said proudly, knowing that Marius was no longer a part of the family. "All of my friends thought he was a squib, but now that he isn't polluting the family any longer, I don't have to worry about it."

Dorea looked stricken. She'd been scared out of her mind that her father had sent away her brother and it had taken Hermione a lot of consoling to get the girl to understand that it wouldn't happen to her. She'd already had many boughts of accidential magic - strong magic too. It hurt Hermione to imply in any way that people without magic were lesser, but she knew that it was the only way to explain why Cygnus had made Marius leave.

The little blond girl had tears in her bright eyes. "Hush, Cassie. Daddy said we aren't to speak about Marius anymore." It had only taken one question about her big brother to send Cygnus flying off the handle, and Dorea quickly learned that it was better to pretend as if he never existed.

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Dorea, you are too soft. You will never make it at Hogwarts." She smirked. "You'll see one day. He was an abomination and it's better that he's gone."

Hermione couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She'd grown very fond of Marius. Despite not having magic, he was still a very bright boy, with hobbies and desires and a happy future. She wouldn't stand for anyone calling him an abomination. "You should wash your mouth out, Cassiopeia." She sniffed disdainfully.

"Oh, don't tell me what to do! You aren't my mother." The older girl said to her in a baby voice, that horrifically reminded Hermione of Bellatrix. The girl gave her a triumphant smile, as though her words somehow hurt Hermione, which couldn't be further from the truth.

"You'd better shape up your bad attitude." Hermione sneered at her. "You wouldn't want any of your suitors to learn just how ugly you are on the inside. You just might find yourself bitter and alone someday. A sad, old spinster, with no one who loves her." Hermione knew it was a bit petty of her, but she couldn't help but hint at the future. She was pretty sure she remembered Cassiopeia from the tapestry in Grimmauld Place and she was pretty sure that the girl had never married.

The surly teenager let out a horrified gasp when she heard Hermione's words, her face stricken. With tears forming in her eyes, the girl stood up and ran out of the room. Hermione hoped that the words would sink in and make some kind of change in Cassiopeia, but she wouldn't hold her breath.

Dorea came to sit next to Hermione on the couch, her little head falling on Hermione's shoulder. "You shouldn't have called her ugly. Now she is going to tell daddy on you." It broke Hermione's heart a bit that Dorea had obviously been tattled on by her older sister. She wondered what it would feel like to always be on edge with such a vicious girl for a sibling.

Running her fingers through Dorea's curly blond hair, Hermione tried to reassure the girl. "Don't worry, I can handle your father." She promised.

"Is Marius okay?" Dorea asked quietly.

Hermione felt her heart surge in joy when she realized that the girl obviously trusted her enough to ask her such a delicate question. That she felt safe with Hermione. "Marius is perfectly safe." She wanted to tell Dorea more, like how he'd been sent to a muggle orphanage with a curse placed on him so he could never speak of magic again.

She wanted to promise the girl that she had made it her personal mission to make sure that Marius was well looked after, sending money for his fund, and combing through prospective muggle parents who would take the boy in, and give him the kind of life that he deserved.

 **September 19th, 1930**

Hermione snuggled into her bed, turning onto her side and feeling that Cygnus wasn't there. She sighed. She and her husband had had a rocky year, punctuated by his treatment of her when they were handling the Marius situation and the subsequent fall out. It was obviously something that still bothered him, but the more time that passed without Marius in the manor, the more he got back to "normal" Cygnus behavior.

Letting her eyes flutter open in the warm sunlight, Hermione realized that it was the morning of her twenty-third birthday. Blinking, she nearly couldn't believe that it had been almost five years since she'd come back to the past to give Tom Riddle a better life. It had been amazing to see the little boy blossom, and it was clear that he loved and trusted her. She just knew that she was making positive changes for the future. Next year, she would begin schooling him in earnest, wanting him to have the best possible start at Hogwarts.

But she still couldn't stop from thinking about how her life could have been if only Voldemort had never existed in her time. She doubted she would be married yet, wanting time to focus on her career, and she wouldn't be a young mother either. Every day, she was in awe of how much work Tommy was, even if she loved and cherished him. Would she be working at the Ministry with Harry and Ron? Or, without the spectre of Lord Voldemort and the boy-who-lived, would she have ever even become friends with the pair of boys? Would the boys have been friends at least?

She hoped that she would live long enough to find out.

Just as she was about to get up from the bed, she heard whispering outside of the room. Stilling, she wondered what it could possibly be.

Hermione didn't have to wait much longer, as Dorea was opening the door, and Tommy was running across the room, to jump up on the bed. Dorea soon followed, snuggling up on the bed as well. "Happy birthday mummy!" The pair chorused, and Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn't think that she'd ever heard Dorea call her mother before, and she felt her affection for the young girl grow even more. She was so glad to learn that she was able to be a positive influence in the girl's life, and make Dorea feel secure enough that she thought of her as her mother.

Tommy grabbed her face, pressing a wet kiss on her nose. "Oh, honey, your little fingers are so sticky! What have you been up to?" Hermione teased, pretending to take a bite from one of his fingers, to Tommy's vast amusement. He fell down in a peal of laughter.

A throat cleared from the corner of the room and Hermione saw Cygnus holding a tray, with breakfast and a beautiful bouquet of blue hydrangeas. Surprise was clear on her face, and Cygnus gave her a soft smile, perhaps realizing what a brute he'd been to live with all year. "The children wanted to make you breakfast in bed." He said. "Children, move off of your mother so that she can have her food." He instructed gently.

With the tray on her lap, Hermione wasn't sure who she was more surprised with. "You all made me breakfast? All on your own?" She looked up at Cygnus, knowing that the act was definitely outside of the pureblood norm for a husband.

"Yes, although Opal looked on the whole while, barely able to stop herself from shouting out instructions." Cygnus said with a smile.

Hermione took her first bite of pancakes, and was rather impressed with the effort. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but it wasn't terrible either. "Thank you so much Tommy and Dorea." She said brightly, giving Tommy a big, syrupy kiss on the cheek, and Dorea a winning smile. Her son seemed to find that very amusing, and she hoped that he would always love her so. She was dreading the age when he would grow up and decide that he was too big for her hugs and cuddles.

Once she was done, she vanished the breakfast, thanking Cygnus again for the little surprise. She was certain that the children wouldn't have been able to manage it without his assistance. But, it seemed that he was not done with her yet, for the day. "Hester has agreed to watch the children tonight. I thought we might go to the opera, have dinner, and then come home for a little alone time tonight?" He told her, his voice low and husky.

Hermione nodded, a blush on her cheeks. Perhaps a little bit of alone time was exactly what they needed, seeing as their relationship had been so strained this past year. It did have one added benefit, in that he no longer treated her as if she would break while they were having sex, which had translated to a better sex life between the two of them. She was excited to learn if that passion could be translated to when they were on better terms, as well.

The two other children, none the wiser to the promises for that evening, were only too happy to extract a promise to spend the whole day with her. She'd promised to take them on a walk through the orchard, and told them that perhaps they could even pick a few apples, if they found any that were ripe enough. Spending the day in the sunshine with her two children was more than Hermione could have imagined for her birthday, and she was surprised to learn now much she had grown in five years.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know that the last chapter was really rough with poor Marius. In canon, we know that Marius was blasted off the family tree, and so I thought that was a reasonable explanation. It won't be the last that we hear from him, though, either. Hermione will continue to show glimpses of her old self, so please stick with this! It is going to be a really long story, and I can tell you that while it will be dark, Hermione will find happiness. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge shout out to alpha reader, Kreeblim Sabs!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter ten and be on the lookout for chapter eleven soon.

* * *

 **February 14th, 1931**

She wasn't exactly sure when she'd figured it out, but Cygnus had a pattern. He could get into the foulest moods, unwilling or incapable of seeing how it affected the others in the household. After a certain amount of time, though, he would realize his 'mistake' and apologize with gifts and other grand romantic gestures. But Hermione was beginning to realize that he was never going to learn from his mistakes either.

Their most recent argument had been over a bit of legislation in the Wizengamot, actually, and Cygnus scolded her for believing everything that she read in the Daily Prophet. It didn't take long for him to suggest that she couldn't possibly know anything about the subject matter, or even have an opinion on it, essentially because she was a stay at home mother.

It didn't take long for her to ward him out of their shared bedroom. Where he went, she wasn't sure, but she hadn't been able to hide her smirk when she heard him on the other side of the closed door trying to dismantle her spell. He'd even cursed the blood wards for not responding to him, and she'd had to bit her tongue to stop herself from shouting that she was just as much a Black as he was after their marriage.

She liked giving him glimpses of the witch that she'd once been, the brightest witch of her age, best test scores in a century. It took a lot of resistance to not show him her dueling prowess, and she knew it was only a matter of time until they fought each other with wands. She knew that Cygnus would be disappointed.

When he'd invited her to an exclusive dinner for Valentine's Day, she should have known that he was up to his old tricks, just wanting to get back in her good graces, and back in her bed. She wondered how long his apology would last this time before he tripped up again.

It was times like these that Hermione really regretted marrying someone that she'd only known a short while. She hadn't known any of the things about him that would grow to irritate her. And she was positive that Cygnus hadn't been expecting a bride who would not sit in the corner, trying not to be seen. She was positive that she was not the docile, pureblood girl that he had expected she would be.

With her hair curled nicely, and make up on her face, Hermione stood in front of her closet, trying to decide which robes to wear. Maybe she needed to put a little more effort into her relationship with Cygnus. Of course, she could recognize that it was a two-way street. Cygnus made mistakes, but she was also incredibly stubborn, and she knew that sometimes she could focus all of her energy on the children, and didn't give him the time of day that he deserved.

Part of the problem was that she knew she didn't love Cygnus. At this point, she wasn't sure that she could love Cygnus at all, or if she just hadn't opened her heart to him. Perhaps this dinner could signal a change in their relationship, a start of something new.

Knowing that he loved her in green, Hermione picked a daring green cocktail dress that he'd purchased for her, but that she'd never before worn.

* * *

 **May 22nd, 1931**

Hermione rarely ever came by Cygnus's office in the manor, seeing as she almost never had any reason to visit him there. He spent most of his days at his office in the Ministry of Magic, but he occassionally had people over to discuss "business". Hermione had smirked when she realized business just meant smoke expensive cigars, drink vintage firewhiskey, and gossip about other men.

She'd been playing hide and go seek with Dorea and Tommy, though, when she heard voices coming from his office, so she crept down that way, thinking that she might find two mischevious little children if she was quiet enough. If not, she was sure she could offer Cygnus and his guest refreshments, seeing as it was nearly lunchtime.

Pressing her hand on the doorknob, she opened it slowly, hoping to make as little noise as possible. With the door open just a sliver, she could see in the room clearly enough. The occupants were too caught up in each other to notice one another, which Hermione figured was a small miracle.

There, draped over Cygnus's large desk was Irma Black, her long red hair hanging over the side of it, her pinched mouth open in pleasure while Cygnus worked between her thighs. He hadn't even bothered to undress them, just pushing her robes up her hips, and pulling them down in the front to expose her breasts. His blond head was bowed over her body, so he didn't see her.

Stepping back, Hermione felt her heart pound, blood rushing in her ears until she couldn't hear anything. It was a rather...passionate encounter, she knew, and she wondered if she and Cygnus had ever experienced anything like that. It was clear that they felt more for each other than just lust, and suddenly, the failures in their marriage didn't seem to be her fault. She'd previously thought that she wasn't being open enough with _her_ heart, but perhaps it was just that Cygnus had already given his to another woman.

Tears formed in her eyes, and she walked away from the room, unwilling to imagine the pain of Irma and Cygnus catching her. She didn't want them to know how much it affected her. Hermione had sacrificed so much, coming back to this time, and she didn't have anyone to love her. She wanted to experience that kind of passion, the kind where you just couldn't keep your hands off of one another.

At least she had Tommy, Hermione consoled herself. The little boy that she adopted, the little boy who had the potential to become Lord Voldemort, loved his mother so much. If he could, she was positive that he would spend every waking moment with her.

Wiping the tears from her face, Hermione knew what she needed to do now. She would focus all of her eneregy on providing Tommy with the best possible life. He would never doubt the love that she felt for him, and of course, it was never too early to begin working on his schooling. Once Dorea went off to Hogwarts in the fall, she would start him on basic magic. You could never start too early with the theory, in her opinion.

She _was_ a great witch, and it was undeniable that Tom Riddle would become a great wizard. With her guidance, perhaps he could even become the most powerful wizard alive, surpassing even Albus Dumbledore himself.

…

The next time that Hermione saw Cygnus was at dinner. It was odd to see him walk in, pretending as though he hadn't just been fucking his mistress in his office. Instead, he bent his head over and pressed a kiss against Hermione's face. Before asking Tommy and Dorea what they did that day, listening patiently. It was odd, in a way, for Hermione to realize just how little it bothered her to learn that he had been unfaithful.

Really, she should be crying, upset that there was no chance of them _ever_ having a happy, loving marriage. That there was never going to be some great romance kindled between them. She should be upset, that as his wife, he didn't respect her enough not to screw around outside her bed. But, in reality, it wasn't a surprising find for her. She knew what kind of man Cygnus was the whole time that they were married. He was always far too flirty of his own good, giving the wives of his associates looks and touches that lingered too long to be socially acceptable. Perhaps the question she should be asking herself was how many other women did he have besides Irma. She wasn't naive enough to think that there had only been the one since she'd been married to him.

It was probably a small miracle that Irma hadn't fallen pregnant with another of Cygnus's children. She was glad that she had one additional year before she and Cygnus had agreed they would start trying to have children. Still, she couldn't imagine being cuckolded by your own father, raising your siblings as your own children. As much as she didn't like Pollux, it wasn't as if he deserved that either.

No, it was shocking for her to realize that she would never love Cygnus, that she never felt anything deep enough for him to be bothered by his cheating with Irma. She'd only grown to resent him and his attitude as the years went on. The cynical part of her wondered how long he'd kept the promise he'd made that Christmas week two years prior. She'd be surprised if he'd even lasted half a year.

It was times like this, though, that she wished there was more that she could do. Unfortunately, there was no divorce in wizarding marriage, as the blood magic used to bind them together was too perilous to dismantle. It really was til death do us part. So she was stuck with Cygnus until one of them died. Though some small part of her would like to fantasize about what would happen _if_ Cygnus was dead, she wasn't so dark as to plan his murder.

But that didn't mean that her life couldn't be happy. Ensuring that Tommy had the best possible life would be rewarding, even if that meant continuing to pretend that there was nothing wrong between her and Cygnus. The less Tommy knew, the better.

"Hermione, darling? Are you alright? You've barely said anything at all tonight." Cygnus asked, a bite of beef wellington perfectly balanced on his fork. She had to hand it to him, Hermione thought, he really did look concerned for her.

She sighed. "Yes, Cygnus. I am just a bit tired today. Running after the children all day long took a lot out of me." She lied. What was one more lie in the pile that she already committed?

"Perhaps you and the children should spend less time playing and more time studying. After all…" He trailed off for a moment, almost as if he didn't want to jinx what he said next, in case it didn't come true. "Dorea will be headed to Hogwarts this fall." Although they never spoke of him, and all the traces of him had long since been obliterated, the spectre of Marius still lingered in the Black manor.

She gave him a weak smile at the suggestion, wanting to tell him to leave the parenting to her. After all, he only swooped in for exceptional moments, and did almost nothing to ensure the day to day schooling of the children. "Yes, dear." She said demurely. "It is so hard to keep them cooped up when summer is just beginning."

Their dinner resumed in silence and Hermione was overcome with a sense of resentment for her husband. Just because she knew about his cheating, and there was nothing she could do to dissolve the marriage, didn't mean she needed to make it easy for him. "I was actually thinking about contacting Irma." She said, staring at her husband, face serene.

She had to hide a smirk when she saw him flinch, nearly imperceptibly, but she knew him better, at the name. "Irma? Whatever for?" He asked.

"Oh, I was thinking that I could set up a playdate with Walburga and Tommy. After all, I think its a good idea to start socializing him with other children his own age." Hermione said cooly. Dorea and Marius had plenty of other pureblood children that they had played with growing up, and she wasn't about to let Tommy be treated any less.

Cygnus relaxed. "Oh, yes of course. Wally could definitely use a little socialization herself, or else she will be so spoiled by the time she gets to Hogwarts, no one will want to spend any time with her."

Hermione couldn't hide a smile at that. It was true, Walburga was very comfortable always getting what she wanted. She wondered if that played into her marriage to Orion at all. It was very odd to have cousins - even second cousins - get married in pureblood circles, but then again, Hermione was quickly realizing that the Black Family was more twisted than she ever could have imagined.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1931**

If Cygnus had been worried for Marius's Hogwarts letter, he'd been nearly paralyzed with nerves that Dorea might not get one as well. Hermione tried to tell him that Dorea displayed magic all the time, but he couldn't or wouldn't trust her this time. Dorea herself was fairly traumatized from the situation with her older brother being banished from the family on his eleventh birthday, so it had taken a lot of encouragement from Hermione to get the girl out of bed and down to the table for breakfast.

But, all of their concern and worry and tears were for not, because waiting at the table was a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, inviting Dorea Black to join them September 1st. Cygnus had been so relieved that he'd given Dorea permission to get a familiar.

Hermione had happily taken Dorea and Tommy into Diagon Alley to get all of Dorea's school supplies as well as her familiar. It went very well, and Dorea's excitement was so infectious, Hermione had to stop herself from sharing all sorts of stories from when she was at the school. Tommy had been a bit put out that he wasn't getting a familiar himself, but he helped Dorea pick out the most beautiful kitten with soft, luxurious white fur and brilliant blue eyes. Hermione teased Dorea that she just picked the animal that looked most like her. It didn't take long for the kitten to be dubbed "Countess Whiskers", which the kitten loved if her proud expression and rumbling purring could be judged.

When September 1st finally rolled around, Hermione and Tommy helped Dorea pack up her trunk, though Tommy was mostly just unfolding all of Dorea's uniforms. If Hermione wasn't mistaken, she was sure that Tommy was just feeling upset about being separated from his step-sister. Hearing the great grandfather clock chime in the parlor downstairs, Hermione knew that they had to get a move on to Kings Cross if they were going to make it in time.

Waving her wand, Dorea gasped as all her items neatly piled in the trunk, before the trunk closed and shrank to pocket sized. "Wow! Do you think I will be able to do that someday, mother?" Dorea asked, always in awe of the complicated magic that Hermione did.

"I am sure that if you study hard, you will be able to do all sorts of magic, soon." Hermione told her checking the half-up hair style that kept Dorea's long blonde hair out of her face. "You are going to be a brilliant witch, Dorea, I just know it."

They met Cygnus in the parlor, and the family of four apparated off directly to platform 9 and ¾. Dorea stared at the great Scarlet steam engine in awe, before turning to face her parents. "Goodbye daddy." She said sweetly. Cygnus dropped to his knee, pulling his daughter in for a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Make sure you write us to let us know where you are sorted." Cygnus said, pulling on one of her curls. Hermione knew that he would be vastly disappointed if she didn't end up in Slytherin, but Hermione hoped he wouldn't let it show if she ended up somewhere else. Personally, she thought Dorea was mischievous enough to end up in the dungeons, but let Dorea know that they wouldn't mind if she ended up something else.

Dorea hugged Tommy next, and finally Hermione. "Goodbye mother. I am _really_ going to miss you." She whispered, her grey eyes beginning to look a bit more _nervous_ at being separated from everyone else.

Hermione hugged her back and tried to give her step-daughter some comfort. "Oh, I am going to miss you too, Dorea. It will be lonely without you. But, remember, you can write to me at anytime, and about anything. I am just a Floo call away." She wasn't positive that students would be allowed to floo call home, but she was a part of the Black family know and that carried some special perks. She was sure that if she demanded it, the Headmaster would cave.

Nodding, the tiny girl gave them one final goodbye before hurrying off onto the Hogwarts Express. Cygnus, Hermione and Tommy waited until the train had pulled away to go home. Hermione lifted Tommy into her arms, seeing as he was looking particularly sullen now that Dorea was gone. "Mummy, how come I can't go to Hogwarts?" He asked, a small pout evident on his lips.

She gave him an indulgent smile. "You are still a bit too little for Hogwarts, love, but in a couple of years, you will go to Hogwarts too, and learn all about becoming a wizard." Hermione promised him. "But, until then, you will just have to stay with me at home. How would you like that?" She asked.

Tommy wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her curly hair. "I get mummy all to myself." He said, proudly.

Hermione laughed at his words. "Yes, certainly. We will have so much time, just the two of us together, and we can do all sorts of fun things in the garden, we can cook with Opal, and soon, we can even start to learn some magic to prepare you for Hogwarts."

Her little boy seemed to perk up at the prospect of all that time with her, and it warmed Hermione's heart. It made her feel so much better to know that she'd already made such a strong connection with him. She couldn't imagine that if he'd grown up at the orphanage, he'd be this open with anyone. It gave her a new determination, a new focus, to keep improving his life.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I really hope that you like this chapter...I think you will see bits of the old Hermione bubbling up, albeit in a Slytherin way. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge shout out as always to the most wonderful alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs!

P.S. Several of my stories were nominated for the 2017 Haven Awards: Sleeper was nominated for several categories, and Slip and Disparate Youth were also nominated. You can vote here: htt*ps:/*goo.*gl/for*ms/afEL*VBndM*JgT0*fyf2 just remove the asterisks.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eleven and be on the lookout for chapter twelve soon!

* * *

 **January 23rd, 1932**

Hermione cooed over the little baby currently in her arms. The tiny boy had been a recent edition to Flavia Greengrass's, nee Rowle, family. Flavia was one of the few pureblood ladies that Hermione could actually get along with, seeing as they were of similar age. They'd met the season after Hermione was married to Cygnus and they met fairly frequently to chat and gossip.

They had initially bonded when Flavia had formally apologized to Hermione for her sister-in-law's rudeness from when she'd been interviewed as a governess. Apparently, the embarrassment of being rude to any one of the Black wives could not go unpunished. They bonded further over the continued disdain from other wizards and witches about their foreign origins. Flavia's mother had been a truly gorgeous witch from the North of Italy and blessed her golden haired daughter with a fitting Latin name, which was simply not done in Wizarding Britain. Hermione hated that people continued to say barely hidden barbs of her supposed French origins.

"Oh, don't you want one Hermione?" Flavia cooed, excited over giving her husband an heir. She'd been married to Gareth Greengrass, a man twice her age, immediately after Hogwarts, and they'd been attempting to get pregnant ever since, until finally they were blessed with Graeme.

Hermione smiled, using her finger to feel the soft chubbiness of Graeme's cheeks. His big eyes were trained on her face, and she could already see that he would share Flavia's brilliant blue green eyes. It was a trait shared with Daphne Greengrass, who was in Hermione's year at Hogwarts. She wondered if Daphne would be Flavia's granddaughter or great granddaughter. "Oh, you know, I am always so busy with Tommy. He is such a handful."

"Of course." Flavia responded quickly, playing with the spoon in her teacup. "But, I mean...Tommy didn't come from your body, even if you love him as your own. Don't your...I don't know, hormones ever make you want a child of your own?"

"Sometimes." Hermione admitted quietly. The only thing she was certain of was that she didn't want Cygnus as the father of her children, which was unfortunate, seeing as he was her husband. Around her neck, his latest present hung heavy about her throat. The sapphire pendant was to make up for the long nights he had been away since the holidays, working at the Wizengamot. Hermione wasn't so naive to think that it was work keeping him away. She figured it was an other woman - Irma or otherwise, she wasn't exactly bothered.

Flavia nibbled at her lower lip, carefully weighing her words. It was obvious that she didn't want to offend Hermione with whatever she was going to say. "It's just...it was so difficult for me to get pregnant and Gareth and I tried all the time. I had...a miscarriage." She whispered. Hermione thought it was terrible that such a topic was considered taboo, when she was certain that a lot of other people dealt with it as well. "You and Cygnus might find it difficult as well. I don't want you to miss out on it."

Hermione sighed, considering her friend's words. Of course, it would be wonderful to have a child herself, but if it never happened then she was positive that Tommy would be enough. He would need a lot of assistance, Hermione knew, if he was to avoid the seductive powers of growing up in Slytherin house. "Cygnus and I agreed that we would wait until Tommy was five to start trying."

"But Tommy turned five almost a month ago!" Flavia said, brightly. "Does this mean that you have started trying? Oh I would so love to have our children be playmates someday, Hermione." The other woman reached across the table to grab Hermione's arms.

It was times like this that Hermione wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a close female friend. She and Ginny had been sort of close, but they had almost none of the same experiences and more often than not were only shunted together because they were the only two girls. She was sure that if Harry Potter never existed, she and Ginny wouldn't have said more than two words to one another. Her roommates had seemed even more foreign to her.

But Flavia, she could understand, in a weird way. Personality wise, they almost had less in common than she did with Ginny, but when it came to their lives, the similarities continued to stack up. They were both under twenty-five and married to older men, and were familiar with all the baggage that came along with that. They both had the expectations of their new families upon their shoulders, and now, they both cared deeply for their children.

"We actually haven't discussed it yet." Hermione said, thinking of their continued use of contraceptive charms. It had just become part of the routine of their love life, and Hermione was not about to say anything else about it to Cygnus if she could help it. If he'd forgotten as well, it was all the better for her.

It seemed to disappoint her friend to her that, but she also got the impression that Flavia was holding out hope that Hermione would be pregnant again soon. Moving on to other topics - like how Mrs. Malfoy had gotten incredibly drunk at their annual ball over the holidays and fell down the stairs - the friends were soon giggling and laughing again.

* * *

 **April 2nd, 1932**

She wasn't sure how it it happened, exactly, but Hermione found herself wedged between Ursula and Belvina at Irma's annual garden party. She didn't know who she found more annoying, her mother-in-law, who proved to be constantly overbearing, or her sister-in-law, who still seemed to think that Hermione was a gold digger and sniffed disdainfully seeing the sapphire pendant Cygnus had gifted her with.

Hermione wanted to scream at Belvina that she didn't care at all about their vast wealth, and she wouldn't have even agreed to join their family if they hadn't essentially blackmailed her and threatened her livelihood unless she got married to Cygnus. There were many days that Hermione regretted ever being fooled by the blond man's perceived kindness, but most of the days, they lived nearly separate lives, so she could feel as though the sacrifice she'd made was worth it for Tommy to have all the luxuries of growing up as a Black.

"I'm just saying, Hermione, that you aren't exactly getting any younger. Why, when I was your age, I'd already had three children." Ursula said proudly, patting Hermione on the hand, in a move that was meant to patronize, not placate.

The pair of women had been at it for the last ten minutes, with Irma keeping a smug look on her face all the while. Of course, _she'd_ given Cygnus two healthy children already, and she thought she was pulling the rug over everyone's eyes. Hermione wanted to tell everyone she knew about their twisted little affairs and point out that Irma hadn't given _Pollux_ a trueborn heir yet, but she reminded herself that she had to live with these people for the rest of her life, so it was no good to stir up any drama, even if it would be self-satisfying.

"Yes, well. It will happen when it happens." Hermione said, with a tight smile. She thought of her friend Flavia, and how much she had struggled. If Hermione was struggling, she was sure all this _well meaning_ badgering by her family would not be doing anything to help the family. Besides, why did she even need to give Cygnus a child? He had three...well, perhaps four or five...perfectly acceptable children anyway. She felt disgustingly like it was to stake some kind of claim on her body.

"Well, it's not as though you've given it much effort." Belvina sniffed beside her quietly, as though Hermione's only expectations were to be some kind of baby incubation machine for Cygnus and nothing else.

"He spoils you." Ursula said, sniffing as well. "He never should have made that ridiculous deal with you waiting until Thomas was five years old to have a child of your own. A real child."

Hermione couldn't hold back her gasp of surprise. That discussion with Cygnus was meant to be private! He never should have shared the intimate details of their marital bed with his mother. Why did she even _want_ to know to begin with? Ursula calling Tom Thomas again and further suggesting that he wasn't her real child only made her more irritated. "That's private. That's meant to be between me and Cygnus, _not_ the rest of the family." She said firmly, determined to hold her ground.

Ursula began to laugh. "Don't be daft, dear. It is a family issue, and I am going to have Sirius say something to Cygnus. It's about time that he fathered another child especially after what happened with-" She cut herself off before she could say Marius's name, but it still hurt Hermione years after the fact. Knowing how Cygnus had treated his son only made her less desirious of having a child with the man.

"He's our paterfamilias, Hermione. You understand that in this family, what Sirius says goes." Belvina said beside her with a simpering smile.

She wasn't sure how she resisted crossing her arms, but she had to literally bite her tongue to stop from responding. Sirius could command all he wanted, but there was no way that she was going to give Cygnus a child. By the time that the garden party was finished, she could taste the coppery blood that had filled her mouth.

* * *

 **April 3rd, 1932**

After hearing the pronouncement from Ursula that she simply _must_ have a baby as soon as possible, Hermione had left Irma's party and immediately stomped off the apothecary. It was a bit unorthodox for a woman to go out and buy potions' ingredients for herself, but she was so mad that she didn't care. Hermione was confident enough now that she was positive she could lie her way out of any situation if she needed to.

It hadn't taken long for her to gather all of the ingredients she needed to get to work on her little potions, and when the apothecary seemed perplexed by her choices, she gave him a tight smile. "It's for menstrual cramps. It's an old French folk remedy." She said sweetly, grinning when the word menstrual seemed to send him into an embarrassed flurry.

Really, she was lucky that this particular potion hadn't been invented yet. No, it wouldn't be invented until 1965, and so she was positive that she would escape detection. After all, at this time, no one wanted to become _infertile_. They were all desperately chasing after heirs and spares. But once the "sexual" revolution came out, and the wizarding world became slightly more promiscuous, suddenly, the market would be flush with all sorts of potions to temporary remove fertility. The thought of a good pureblood son or daughter having a child out of wedlock was simply not done. Really, she was lucky that Professor Snape had insisted that they memorize the instructions, seeing as it was frequently on the OWLs.

Taking Tommy with her into the little potions laboratory in the manor, she had him help her crush some beans, only to learn that he mostly just enjoyed making a huge mess. He was eager to help, though, and Hermione loved to see the serious little look on his face that he got when he was working at something. She knew that he was more than a little bit eager to join Dorea at Hogwarts, when he turned eleven of course.

While the potion wasn't exactly tasteless, it did have a cloying sweetness that would pair well with the spoonful of honey that Cygnus usually took in his morning tea, that he religiously drank every morning. And Hermione, being the good little wife that she was made sure that she always brought it to him. It would be so easy to add enough of the potion to his tea that it would be incredibly effective, but unnoticeable.

She'd sat back for too long, letting the Black family and their rules and their traditions take away her decisions. But this was her body, and she would be damned if she let Ursula, Sirius or Cygnus tell her that she had to have a baby that she didn't want. True, she had to stay married to the man, but she couldn't imagine parenting another child with a man who banished his own son for being a squib.

Not to mention that she couldn't imagine the Black family's shock and horror should they ever find out that Hermione's blood wasn't as pure as they all thought. She didn't want to think of what some of the family members would do to hide the "stain" of a half blood child actually _in_ their family. She knew that they didn't mind with Tommy because while Cygnus was his stepfather, he wasn't actually a member of the Black family, so he could be forgiven or explained away.

Honestly, it was almost hard for her to contemplate the fact that she _was_ a muggleborn at this point. She'd been living secretly, pretending to be a pureblood for so long, that at some point the pureblood lie had taken precedence in her brain. Just one glamour charm to her arm every few months was all that she needed to hide her secret. How she longed for the days when she proudly proclaimed her mudblood status. Sometimes she wished she could go back to that Hermione.

At least she was positive that Hermione Granger was still bubbling under the surface.

* * *

 **October 1st, 1932**

Hermione and Tommy had taken the train into Birmingham. She wanted to make sure to expose Tommy to as much muggle culture as possible for the inevitable time that she had to explain his muggle father to him. If he saw all the wonderful things that muggles could do, perhaps he wouldn't hate that side of himself too much. For now, Hermione hoped that day was years away. After all, he was only five, and she was certain that Tommy wouldn't really understand what was going on.

"Now, Tommy, this little trip is going to be our exciting adventure." Hermione whispered to him, wrapping her arm around him while they cuddled on the bench, watching the landscape move by at rapid speed. "Just the two of us." She said proudly.

"Where are we going mummy?" Tommy asked, tiny hand pressed to the window.

"We are going to Birmingham." Hermione said smartly. "Don't you like to have these little trips with mummy?" She asked, wondering how long he would keep calling her that. Part of her wished that he could just stay her little boy for the rest of his life.

"Yes!" Tommy said, excitedly. "I get to spend all day with mummy." He especially loved when he could have her all on his own, which had made the past summer a bit difficult when Dorea and Cassiopeia were suddenly home from Hogwarts.

"Well, then we must keep our little adventure secret. We won't even tell Cygnus." Hermione said, making eye contact with her son. "Can you promise to keep this trip as a little secret?" She asked her son, seeing him return her low voice with a nod of his head and a little mischievous smirk on his face. Internally, she wondered if he ever had a chance of not being in Slytherin.

"I promise mummy." Tommy said, seriously, before turning to look out the window for the rest of the journey.

It didn't take long before they were arriving in Birmingham, and Hermione held onto Tommy's hand, leading him towards their destination. She'd found a family for Marius, and he'd been adopted without having to spend too much time in the orphanage. They weren't as well to do as she'd have liked, but they were good honest people. With a generous payment from the Black family vaults, they had promised that they would take good care of him.

But Hermione always promised that she would keep an eye on Marius. She knew how Harry had been treated by his muggle relatives and she couldn't bare the thought if Marius was receiving the same treatment and she didn't do anything about it. She walked briskly across town, arriving at Marius's school just as classes were letting out.

It wasn't hard for her to pick Marius out, even with his floppy cap and new short cropped haircut. He still had the Black look around him, and she was certain that all the muggle girls would be flocking to him in a few years, but she wondered if he would grow to resent the reminder of his family. She gave him a shy wave, and watched as his face lit up at seeing her.

She gave him a quick hug. "Hi Marius. New haircut?" She asked, pulling the cap off his head and running her hand through his hair.

He blushed, but greeted her anyway. "Hi Hermione." He was clearly happy to see her, even though she knew that he probably associated her with a very negative time in his life. She still felt terrible that she _had_ gotten his hopes up, like Cygnus had scolded her for. Plus, he was newly a teenager, so she knew that he was probably feeling a lot more emotions currently.

Some other boys gathered a few paces away from them, before yelling at Marius. "Oi, who's the bird then Marius?" The bravest one called out. "Your mum?"

He grinned at Hermione. "If only they knew the truth." He said quietly to her, before waving off his friends. Bending down he ruffled Tommy's hair, just as she had done to him. "Hello there Tom. You've grown so much from the last time I've seen you."

Hermione had been worried about Marius not being able to fit in as a muggle, but so far he seemed happy and he seemed to have made friends. It was really more than she could hope for. "How are you finding school?" She asked.

"It's going alright. I was always good at sums." Marius said. "I can't wait until we get to chemistry as it seems to be a lot like potions." He whispered to her. Hermione nodded, knowing that it was right. She was glad that he was making the transition well, and finding muggle subjects to get excited about. Really, wizards had no idea what muggles could do on their own.

"And the Milners? Are they treating you well?" She pressed, knowing that this was the crucial area. If the muggles that had adopted him weren't treating him well, they could expect to find themselves on the wrong end of her wand, statue of secrecy be damned.

Marius nodded again. "Yeah, they are alright. They treat me well, but they make me do so many chores. I never realized how much Opal did at home." He told her, another blush on his face.

Hermione nodded, knowing that wizards really did take their house elves for granted. Even she had, though she always tried to do as much as she could, but Opal usually got her way. "Yes, I imagine that she does much more than we could ever comprehend. Well, I just wanted to check in with you. You know that if you need...anything, you can write to me and I will try to help you in anyway I can." She knew her words were weak when he really would just want to come home.

"Thank you, Hermione, I will do that." Marius said, before looking at the ground. "I take it father...doesn't know that you are doing this?" He asked.

Hermione sadly shook her head. "No, it's our little secret. I am so sorry Marius." She said sadly, wanting nothing more than to take him back in. She didn't feel like he was doing enough, not even by half. Bidding her stepson goodbye, Hermione took Tommy by the hand again, letting Marius walk home from school with his friends, while she went back to the train station.

Grinning at the little boy, she reminded him about their deal. "Remember, Tommy. We can't tell Cygnus about our little adventure today."

Nodding his head, seriously, Tommy agreed. "I promise, mummy."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! It means a lot that you are all enjoying the story, even with it's many ups and downs. Prepare to keep seeing more sneaky Hermione. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge shout out to Kreeblim Sabs for alpha reading :) Have you been reading her fic spectacular adventures? I highly suggest it!

P.S. Several of my stories were nominated for the 2017 Haven Awards: Sleeper was nominated for several categories, and Slip and Disparate Youth were also nominated. You can vote here: htt*ps:/*goo.*gl/for*ms/afEL*VBndM*JgT0*fyf2 just remove the asterisks.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twelve, and be on the lookout for chapter thirteen soon!

* * *

 **June 8th, 1933**

Tommy Riddle was a smart boy with a bright future. That's what his mummy always told him, after all. He loved spending time with his mummy. She would play with him all day long and talk with him and tell him stories. She was also teaching him all about magic and the wizarding world and promised him that he was going to be a great wizard some day. His mummy was the best.

Cygnus was okay, too, Tommy supposed. He wasn't around very much, but when he was things were never quite as fun. Though he did give good presents. He was always going on about how Tommy needed to learn to be a proper wizard, and learn all the rules of being a good pureblood. "Of course, you aren't a _real_ Black, but you are representing the family. I won't have you embarrassing it." Cygnus would grouse. Tommy didn't think that it sounded very fun at all. And Cygnus never came on any of the secret adventures he and his mummy had.

Cassiopeia had been mean once, but now she was not so bad. She never really played with him that much, seeing as she was a _teenager_ now and she had more _important_ things to do than playing with babies like him. Tommy didn't like being called a baby - he wasn't a baby, he was six! Cygnus liked Cassiopeia and was always promising her that she was a good witch and that he would find her a husband. Tommy didn't mind her, so long as she didn't say mean things to make his mummy sad, like she used to.

Tommy used to love Dorea too. She'd been so nice to him always, helping him get to high places, or making his toys come alive. She'd play hide and go seek with him and run in the garden with him, and read him stories. But that had all changed once she started going to Hogwarts.

Now, whenever Dorea and Cassiopeia came back from Hogwarts, mummy and Dorea would chat and giggle about how her schooling was going. Mummy would say all kinds of nice things about how good Dorea's marks were. It wasn't fair! If Tommy had any marks to begin with, he knew that _his_ would be the best, not Dorea's. And then mummy would say all kinds of nice things to him, instead.

And they would talk about _boys_ and whisper about if Dorea had gone to Hogsmeade with any of the boys at her school. And mummy would ask and tease Dorea about wanting to kiss the boys at school, which Tommy just thought was gross. Why would a boy and girl want to kiss each other? Girls were icky, except for his mummy.

When she was home for the summer, Dorea got everything that she wanted. Opal would make her all her favorite foods, but the odd looking creature didn't care what _Tommy's_ favorite foods were. And Dorea got to live at Hogwarts and go to school most of the year. Tommy really wanted to go to school so he could prove to his mummy that he was a good wizard. It made him sad every time that they went to the train station that he didn't get to go with. It made him so mad that he couldn't go with.

Dorea also had a _real_ kitten. Tommy had a stuffed dragon, but it was just a toy. He wanted a _real_ familiar like Dorea's. But his familiar would be nice, not like Countess. The kitten looked soft and cuddly with its white fur, but it never let Tommy pet her anymore, not after the time that he grabbed her tail. Now, when he came near her, Countess always hissed, with her fur standing on end.

Tommy hated it. It wasn't fair.

 **August 31st, 1933**

Hermione was running through all sorts of lists and tasks to get the children prepared for Hogwarts. She could hardly believe that Dorea was already going to be in third year. Hermione had counciled her through choosing her electives, seeing as Cassiopeia hadn't been much help. In the older girl's eyes, the only reason that Dorea should be going to Hogwarts was to find herself a husband. Well, Hermione had put an end to that thinking, telling Dorea that she could be whatever she wanted. She didn't need to limit herself to being a wife.

 _That_ had certainly led to a blowout between her and Cygnus, after Cassiopeia tattled on her. Really, Hermione would expect more of a witch who was of age, but she also knew that the seventeen year old was under extreme pressure to find a new match, after her previous betrothal had fallen through the year before. Cygnus had cursed the Averys up and down the Manor, but Hermione remembered an ugly man called Avery who was a Death Eater, so personally, she thought that Cassiopeia dodged a bullet.

Hermione could admit that the girl _was_ making efforts to be a better person, learning that part of the reason her betrothal had been canceled was because her grandmother Ursula had said something nasty about Mrs. Avery. It was just proof that being an ugly person could completely hide any of the external beauty that you had.

Still, Hermione had high hopes for the girl, who was going into her seventh year of Hogwarts. She promised to look out for her little sister, making sure that she behaved herself on Hogsmeade dates, should she be invited by someone their father approved of. Hermione had whispered to Dorea that sometimes you have to go on dates with people your father doesn't approve of too, but the pair decided to keep _that_ conversation between the two of them.

Really, it was making Hermione a bit nostalgic for a time that she was never afforded at Hogwarts. Even in her third year, Hogsmeade weekends were spent waiting for Harry to sneak out of the castle and then wandering around with the boys. Now, she wished she would have actually gone on a proper date when she was younger, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

She couldn't wait for Tommy to go to Hogwarts, and ask a girl to a date at Hogsmeade. It tickled her pink to think about the potential future Dark Lord on a date with some nice Hufflepuff girl. She would have to take Tommy for icecream after they dropped the girls off at the Hogwarts Express. He was always so sullen this time of year, longing to go to school like his siblings.

Before she could think on it anymore, a high pitched screaming from Dorea's room had Hermione sprinting off in the direction of the noise, her wand drawn. She would take down anyone who laid a hand on that sweet girl's head. Her heart pounding, she sprang into the room.

Dorea was standing in the center of it, sobbing her eyes out, holding her little white kitten in a death grip. Cygnus entered the room not much longer, and she held out her cat to her father's arms. "Countess Whiskers, daddy! She's dead!" She cried, fiercely, letting Hermione wrap her in a tight hug.

Hermione felt her own eyes well up in tears, thinking of the sweet little familiar who would keep her company in the library if she stayed up late reading. Dorea had loved that kitten with all of her heart, and Hermione couldn't even begin to think about what it was that had happened to it. She ran her fingers through Dorea's long blonde hair, before calling Opal to fetch a calming draught for the girl.

Cygnus swore under his breath, making Hermione turn her head. "Her neck's been snapped." He said, completely tactless, not thinking about how learning how her cat was killed could affect his daughter. Dorea began to sob harder, and Hermione glared at her husband over her head.

Soon, Opal popped back into the room and Hermione gave the girl the draught before tucking her into bed. "Don't worry, love. Your father and I will figure this out. You rest now." She waited at Dorea's bedside, for the girl to calm down, until her grey eyes were drifting shut.

As soon as she stood up, Cygnus was instructing her to follow him to his study. Going to that room automatically put Hermione on edge, knowing all the sordid things that he got up to there. But, she put her bravest face on anyway, needing to get to the bottom of the situation. "Who could have done this?" Hermione asked helplessly, wondering who would want to hurt that little girl so much. "Perhaps someone trying to send you a message?"

Cygnus sighed, running a hand over his face. "Hermione, I think we have to look at the possibility that it was someone in the household that did it." She gasped, thinking that he was initially going to admit guilt himself. She knew that the Black family could be prone to rages, but aside from the one time that he'd pushed her, Cygnus had never raised a hand to anyone in the family.

But then, understanding seemed to creep into her mind, and she set her jaw in a combative stance. She wasn't about to let him pin blame on _her_ son, when he'd done nothing wrong. "You can't be suggesting that Tom did this. Cygnus, he's six! He would never hurt Countess." Hermione insisted.

"I am just saying that we have to look at the possibilities, Hermione." Cygnus admonished, looking as lost as she felt. "I know that I didn't do it, and I can guess that you didn't do it either."

"Then, maybe we should be considering Cassiopeia." Hermione argued, seeing Cygnus scoff and the idea that his little princess could do anything wrong. "I mean, you know that she's been surly all summer about finding a husband. Dorea's chances of making a match are just starting now. It's possible that Cassiopeia is feeling some resentment and she wanted to lash out." The more that she thought about it, the more that Hermione thought it was likely.

"Cassiopeia, isn't capable of this." Cygnus insisted. "She's been difficult lately, yes, but she wouldn't kill a defenseless animal."

"Well, neither would Tommy!" Hermione said, feeling a bit hysterical. Needing to talk to him, she called for Opal again. "Opal, where is Tommy?"

"Young Master Tom is in the gardens." Opal said, brushing her hands down her little apron.

"Can you bring him to me?" Hermione requested, needing to hold her boy in her arms. Opal was gone and back in a pop, bringing Tommy with her. The little boy was clearly shaken and he could immediately sense the uneasy mood in the room. He could also tell that Hermione had clearly been crying.

Hermione gave him a reassuring smile, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Tommy, were you playing with Countess Whiskers?" She asked, pushing back some of his wavy brown hair off of his forehead.

Tommy looked confused and shook his head. "No, I was playing in the garden, looking for snakes." He told her seriously. "Countess doesn't like me very much." He told her honestly, his eyes darting down to his feet. It made Hermione pause for a moment.

"Tommy, look at me in the eyes." She instructed, waiting for him to make eye contact. "Now, it's very important that you don't lie to mummy. Did you hurt Countess, Tommy?" She asked, praying that he would say no. She couldn't imagine him being capable of such an act. As she'd said to Cygnus, he was just a boy. He couldn't be capable of hurting the kitten, let alone killing it.

Tommy shook his head emphatically. "No, mummy. I didn't hurt Countess, I promise." He said, only to have his eyes fill with tears. Hermione felt her heart breaking to know that her son thought that she doubted him, that she'd suspected him of hurting the animal. She never wanted Tommy to feel unsure of himself with her. She looked at Cygnus again, pointedly, wanting him to see that she was right. Pulling Tommy into her lap, she quietly explained that someone had hurt Countess and that she wasn't going to be around anymore. He seemed to understand better than she expected, but he was still tearful.

Sending him off to the library, Hermione remained in Cygnus's office. "See, I told you that he didn't do it." She said, standing from her spot across from his desk.

"He could be lying." Cygnus said, but his voice was weak, knowing that he wasn't helping himself at all, questioning Hermione's son.

"Oh, what do you want me to do, give him veritaserum?" Hermione snapped at him, angry tears in her eyes. It had been a trying day, but she _knew_ Tommy and she knew that he wasn't capable of this. He _wouldn't_ lie to her. "Tommy doesn't lie to me, Cygnus. I trust him when he said he didn't do it, and quite frankly, I am appalled that you don't believe him either."

"I just don't know who else could have done it." Cygnus said, knowing that he was losing this battle.

"Well, it wasn't Tommy. And he _isn't_ your son, Cygnus, so I would appreciate it if you kept your accusations to yourself in the future. You've already done enough damage." Hermione couldn't help but parrot his previous words to her about Marius back at him. She knew that Cygnus wasn't the worst father that the children could had, but he had made his own mistakes through the years.

 **December 31st, 1933**

Hermione had arranged for a nice day to be spent with Tommy for his birthday, seeing as she would have to accompany Cygnus to a Ministry Party that evening - some kind of jubilee or other celebration. Since he would be spending the evening with his cousins Walburga and Alphard, Hermione wanted to be sure that he felt his birthday hadn't been ignored.

They first took a day trip to Diagon Alley, stopping in at the bookstore so that he could pick out some books. He'd grabbed a book on Herbology that Hermione honestly thought was a little too advanced for his age, but then she remembered that she'd done similar things as a child and she hated being told it was out of her range. She did enjoy watching Tommy in the bookstore, his tiny fingers rubbing over the spines of brand new books. It reminded her so much of herself.

They'd gone to lunch together, and Hermione was so pleased to see Tommy looking like such a little gentleman across the table from her, that she was able to ignore the whispering that occasionally followed her son. Having the weight and wealth of the Black name behind him was mostly positive, but it seemed as though everyone knew the circumstances of his birth and were very aware of who Tom Riddle Jr was. Hermione sometimes wondered if that lack of anonymity would hurt or help him when he got to Slytherin house.

For his dessert, they made a chocolate cake together under Opal's watchful eyes, as it had become somewhat of a family tradition. This year was a little bit more lonely than usual, seeing as Dorea and Cassiopeia had stayed behind at school for the holidays. Cygnus had offered to assist, but Hermione told him it was okay for him to pass, seeing as she wanted the little boy all to herself to spoil him.

When it came time for presents, though, Cygnus did join them. They opened presents in the parlor together, but both Hermione and Cygnus were dressed for their party later that evening, as they were going to leave right after it. "Don't you think that your mother looks beautiful tonight?" Cygnus asked, trying to sway Hermione into loosening up a bit for the night.

With her gold dress and tall heels, she was sure that she did look very beautiful, but it was exhausting to put so much effort into her appearance everyday, even though she had the time now. Tommy seemed to think so too. "Mummy is the prettiest mummy in the world." He said proudly, snuggling into Hermione's side, not caring if he wrinkled her dress.

Cassiopeia had sent Tommy some Honeyduke's chocolate for his birthday, while Dorea sent him a book on magical creatures, seeing as he was still particularly fascinated by dragons. Cygnus had given him a promise to take him on a pheasant hunt in the spring time, with some of the other fathers and sons in the pureblood circle that they ran in. Hermione was surprised to learn that seeing as it was quite paternal of him, but she decided to see it as a good thing. Tommy would definitely need positive male guidance, especially now that he was growing older.

His favorite present, though, came from her. She'd gotten him a beginners potions kit, seeing as he'd come to enjoy the time that they spent together brewing. He loved listening to her talk about all the ingredients and how they worked together, and was of course _fascinated_ with dragon's blood. This way, he could start to brew some very standard potions on his own. She knew that he would be prepared for Hogwarts.

Although she would have liked to spend the rest of her night ringing in the New Year with her son, it was time for them to head to the party, and so the trio went through to floo to Grimmauld Place. Hermione couldn't hide the smirk from her face when she noticed Irma's disappointed face to see Cygnus's hand so low on her back, and her in a dress so sexy. It wasn't as though she was fighting over Cygnus with the redheaded woman, but she relished in the thought that the other woman was a little bit jealous of her.

Giving Tommy one last cuddle before it was time to leave, she looked into his bright eyes. "Now, you are going to be my good boy while I am away? You will play nice with Alphard and Wally and go to sleep when Irma tells you to?" She asked.

He looked up at her, angelic smile on his still slightly chubby face. "Yes mummy. I am your good boy." He promised her. Hermione sighed, happy to leave him there, confident that he would be good. Tommy never wanted to disappoint her.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hello babes! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! So blown away by all the support this story is getting! I love reading your reviews, but sorry if I don't have better answers! I don't want to give anything away. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge shout out to my alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirteen and be on the lookout for chapter fourteen soon!

* * *

 **March 31st, 1934**

With Dorea and Cassiopeia home for the Easter holiday, Hermione was happy to catch a bit of peace and quiet in the library while everyone else was asleep. Cygnus had woken her up an hour ago when he got home from one of Malfoy's little card games, stumbling drunk, and had woken her up. It was no trouble, though, as Hermione didn't mind staying in their grand library, snuggled up with a book. She so rarely got any time alone.

She was disturbed, though, by the sound of someone trying to open the front door of the manor, immediately setting her on edge. She sprung up, silent as a cat, and crept down the stairs towards the entrance hall. In the back of her mind, Hermione couldn't stop from musing about how odd it was that purebloods insisted on having a front door when they so rarely used them, relying on floo or apparition in most cases. Wand drawn and on edge, she saw a cloaked figure creeping inside the door.

Pressing her wand against the back of the intruder's head, Hermione was surprised to hear sniffling. The "intruder" was even more surprised to turn around and find Hermione holding her wand in such a defensive position. "Cassiopeia?" Hermione whispered, shocked. She didn't think she'd ever seen the vindictive girl cry before, but she was clearly very upset. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Hermione." The young woman said, relaxing when she realized it was just her stepmother waiting for her and not her father. "I was just…" She failed to come up with an explanation for why she would have been out on the grounds.

"Did you sneak out?" Hermione asked impressed, before holding up a hand to stop the girl from speaking. "Come, let's go to the kitchen." Wrapping an arm around the girl, Hermione was surprised that she didn't flinch, and let her lead her away.

Opal was waiting for them when they arrived. "Opal, your assistance will not be needed this evening. And we are just going to keep this between us, alright? I order you not to tell Cygnus about this." Hermione said, cringing. She _hated_ ordering around the house elves, but she could tell that Cassiopeia needed a friendly ear, and she wouldn't open up if she thought that she would get in trouble with her father. Once the nosy house elf was gone, Hermione put up some anti-eavesdropping spells and got to work making each of them a glass of rich hot chocolate.

"How did you learn all of those spells?" Cassiopeia asked, no longer crying, but still obviously in some distress. Clearly, she was impressed with Hermione's wand work.

"An old Professor taught me them. He was quite good at spell creation." Hermione said, sitting down next to the girl, and handing her a cup. "But, enough about that, do you want to tell me what you were doing out on the grounds?"

Cassiopeia looked down at the cup in her hands, and her shoulders sagged. Hermione knew that she was warring with herself, wondering if she could trust Hermione or if she should keep it a secret. Finally, she looked up. "I was meeting a boy from school…Cassius Rosier."

Hermione wanted to gasp, but she held it in. She couldn't believe that Cassiopeia was bold enough to run out with a boy, when she was so keen on keeping a proper pureblood image. "But, why were you crying? Did he do something to hurt you?" She felt her hand tighten on her wand and she was surprised by how protective she felt of Cygnus's oldest daughter.

"You see...I love him, so much, and he told me that he was going to ask his father for my hand, and that we could be together, you see? Only, then, tonight he told me that he couldn't be with me, that he was engaged to marry Viola Carrow, and that he had been all along." Cassiopeia cried more heartily at that. "He lied to me, and I…"

Understanding slipped into place in Hermione's mind. She wrapped an arm around the girl. "Cassiopeia...did you and Cassius, have sex?" She didn't know a more delicate why to put that. It was no good to talk in innuendos when she needed to get to the bottom of it.

Cassiopeia covered her hands with her face, and nodded, sobbing all the while. She pressed her face into Hermione's shoulder, obviously hurt and embarrassed. Hermione was _very_ surprised with the girl's actions, but she didn't shame her for them at all.

"It's fine, it's completely natural. You are no less than you were before just because you aren't a virgin any longer." Hermione whispered, comfortingly. "I promise that your future husband won't even know the difference. No one has to know unless you want them too. I promise that we will keep this between you and I."

The girl lapped up the words eagerly. "But, I loved Cassius. I wanted to be with him."

Hermione knew how much unrequited love could hurt, but, she didn't know how to make it better for her stepdaughter. "It will get better, Cassiopeia. You will move on and…" She couldn't promise that the girl would find someone for her, when Hermione wasn't sure that she would. It wasn't right. "Who knows what promises the future will bring."

* * *

 **June 17th, 1934**

Hermione had promised Dorea that they would go get her a new familiar over the summer for her birthday. She had tried to emphasize the fact that the new pet would in no way replace Countess Whiskers, but that it would would be a new friend for her to love and care for.

The girl had been very broken up about the death of her beloved cat, but after a year at Hogwarts without her, she was ready to try again. Cygnus had even decided to go with, knowing how hard losing the kitten had been on his daughter, especially one day before she had to go back to school. In these times, Hermione sometimes felt her heart soften a bit towards the blond man. He was such a complicated individual, and she just wished that she never would have married him, but he could be very sweet with his children.

The little pet shop in Diagon Alley wasn't very busy that day, which Hermione was rather pleased with, wanting to keep all of her focus on Dorea in case things didn't go well. Instead, the girl had quickly grown excited at the prospect of getting a new familiar. As soon as she got inside, she wandered off to look at the newly mewling kittens, while Tommy ran off in the other direction.

Cygnus stood by her side, hand placed on her lower back. "Do you really think that she's ready?" He asked, looking at his daughter with concern.

Hermione looked up at her husband with a soft smile on her face. "If she isn't she will let us know. Dorea is becoming a young lady now, Cygnus, we have to give her some room to grow." Hermione said gently, knowing that it was hard for him to think that his little princess - his youngest child - didn't need him so much anymore. "And, if she's not ready, we have to trust that she will tell us."

"You know her so well." Cygnus said softly, looking at her with fondess. "I have never thanked you for...for taking to the children so wonderfully. Dorea adores you. And I know that someday, our own child will adore you too."

She nodded, stiffly, looking ahead. On the one hand, it was nice to know that he appreciated all the work she'd done in raising Dorea these past years, but at the same time, she was annoyed that he had to bring up potential pregnancy, not only in public, but as though it was something that was going to happen. Since his brother had proclaimed they would have another baby, it was as if Hermione completely lost her say.

Not that she was going to let Sirius dictate her life, though.

Pulling away, Hermione went off in search of Tommy. She could only imagine what havoc a seven year old could cause in a store like this, and it wasn't good to leave him unattended for too long. It didn't take her long to find him in the back of the store with the reptiles, seeing as they were the only ones in the store. She was surprised to see him hissing at one of the little black snakes in one of the glass cases.

"Tommy?" Hermione asked cautiously. "What are you doing there?"

"I am talking to my new friend!" Tommy said brightly. "Say hello." The black snake stuck out it's pink tongue at her.

Hermione didn't even need to think twice about what was happening. She'd never seen proof of it before, but it was clear as day that Tommy really was a parselmouth. "Darling, I can't speak to the snake, because I am not a parselmouth." She said gently, kneeling down to his level, so she could keep eye contact. "But you can because of your blood. You have Salazar Slytherin's blood in your veins."

She'd often thought about how to deal with this point when she got to it. It had taken a lot of consideration, but she'd decided to be positive to both sides of his heritage - pureblood and muggle. They each made up half of him, and she didn't want him to feel ashamed of either.

"Has he ever done this before?" Cygnus asked, looking at Tommy with curious eyes. Dorea was standing next to him with a huge rabbit with a furry little beard in her arms. Clearly she'd made up her mind about getting a new familiar.

Hermione shook her head, not really wanting to have this conversation in a public space. After all, being a parselmouth _was_ unusual, and Tommy didn't need anymore unnecessary attention than he already got. "This is the first that I've noticed." She told him, simply.

"Mummy, can I keep him?" Tommy asked, his little hand pressed against the glass of the cage. He gave her such a sweet little smile on his face, that she felt herself wavering.

"Tommy, it's Dorea's birthday, not yours. Maybe you can come get a familiar in December." She said, not wanting her son to be so spoiled that he got presents on his sibling's birthday. Walburga always threw a fit unless she could open a present on Alphard's birthday and it upset her.

Dorea made a noise in the back of her throat. "It's alright, I don't mind. I want Tommy to have a familiar too." The blonde girl was simply too sweet, Hermione thought. Sometimes it seemed impossible that she was Cygnus's child, that she was so kind and unspoiled. Then again, Hermione thought, maybe she had just arrived in the nick of time to prevent Dorea from going sour.

"Alright then." Hermione said, picking up the cage, so that they could pay the store. "Tommy, thank your sister. That was very nice of her." She instructed. She wasn't entirely sure about having a snake in the house, but she was reminded that she lived in a nest of them.

* * *

 **October 1st, 1934**

Tommy had been disappointed to learn that Cassiopeia wasn't returning to Hogwarts that fall. His mummy tried to tell him that she had graduated, but he wasn't really sure what that meant. When Pollux had graduated, he had left home and then, he didn't come back, except for sometimes.

Cassiopeia was okay. Sometimes she could be nice to him, but most of the time she would just ignore him. She _especially_ didn't like Slither, his pet snake. Slither was the best friend he could have, especially because they had a secret language that only they could understand, and he could tell Slither about all the things he couldn't tell anyone else. Plus he always scared Wally.

Slither was good at helping explore all over the manor. There were all sorts of secret places that he could go and hide. Tommy was really good at hiding places and spying on people. His mummy said it was rude to spy, but then found out all sorts of things from spying. Sometimes, he learned things just from listening quietly.

Like the time he'd heard Cygnus and Cassiopeia talking about his parents.

Tommy had always known that Cygnus was _not_ his daddy, and he'd also known that his mummy was _not really_ his mummy. She'd told him that a while ago, that she was his cousin, and that his _real_ mummy had died when he was born. She told him that she raised him and loved him as a son, so she would always be his mummy and he would always be her son. Which was good, because he loved his mummy and he never wanted to be away from her.

Cassiopeia especially didn't like his _real_ mummy. He'd heard her saying all kinds of things about her, one day when he was listening to them. "I can't believe Hermione wouldn't change his name. It's a filthy muggle name."

Cygnus had also chimed in. "It's his muggle father's name, so there is no surprise there. But Hermione said that is the name Merope wanted him to have, and so she would honor it."

"I can't believe we live under the same roof as Merope Gaunt's spawn. She was always a bit touched, wasn't she? We should keep an eye on the boy, as he gets older." Cassiopeia had said, sniffing at the end of her sentence. She was always doing that.

Cygnus nodded in agreement. "Yes, well at least he took after the muggle in looks. The Gaunts were not a very good looking bunch. Merope in particular was homely. How she ever got the muggle to sleep with her is a question in itself."

"Love potion I expect." Cassiopeia mused. "After all, she was a squib, wasn't she? It's surprising that Tommy has such strong magic as it is."

Cygnus was quiet for a while after that. Tommy wondered if it had to do with his old brother Marius. His mummy had told him Marius went away because he was a squib and he didn't have magic. Tommy thought magic was brilliant. He couldn't imagine not being able to make his toys move or talk to Slither. "Yes, we will certainly have to keep an eye on him." Cygnus finally said. "In a few years, the boy will be away at Hogwarts, and Hermione will have a child of her own to grow attached to."

Tommy crept back out of the room. He didn't want anyone to be keeping a closer eye on him. That would mean it would be harder for him and Slither to get up to mischief. And then he wouldn't learn all sorts of secrets like he did now. After all, he had a lot more questions about his parents after hearing that. Who was his father, and was he really a filthy muggle? Why did his mother love a muggle? And why was being a squib so bad if you could have a magical baby, like him? And his mummy...she wouldn't try to get rid of him would she? She wouldn't just...replace him with another baby, right?

He would have to ask his mummy, but he would have to be smart about it. He wouldn't want her to figure out that he'd been spying on Cygnus and Cassiopeia.

* * *

 **December 7th, 1934**

Hermione sat across from Cygnus over the breakfast table in her robe, thinking of just how successful her little potion had been. Here her husband was, drinking his morning tea, laced with her little infertility potion, reading the Daily Prophet, none the wiser that it was the reason for their current lack of a child. It was quite brilliant really.

She knew what question was coming next, now while Tommy was still not awake yet and joining them for breakfast, before he even asked it. Cygnus had learned what her cycle was quite early on, and he could predict it with accuracy. "Well, Hermione. Have we been blessed this month?" He asked, a hopefulness in his tone that almost made her feel bad for her deception.

 _Almost_.

Hermione put on her concerned face, waiting for him to put down the paper. "No, darling, and I just can't think of why it is. I mean...we've tried the positions that your brother suggested, and I am sure that we are having enough sex." Hermione had practically gagged when she thought of Sirius giving them sex advice - including the bit about doing it once a day. But, she'd gone along with it anyway. As distasteful as she found the advice, considering its source, she was still able to get something out of it.

Cygnus was clearly disappointed, his eyebrows together in deep thought. "I just don't understand." He said quietly, clearly doubting his prowess.

And Hermione couldn't help but twist the dagger. Standing, she moved around the kitchen table to stand in front of her husband, a concerned look on her face. She grabbed his face in her hands, cupping his cheeks, her thumbs toying with the bit of hair near his temples which was _just_ starting to go gray. "Perhaps...perhaps you should go to St. Mungo's and get tested." She said, sounding innocent. "It's just that...you are, of a certain age." She tread delicately.

Cygnus looked a bit aghast at her suggestion that he was getting older, but it was true. He was getting closer to fifty, and while witches and wizards could have children much older than muggles did, it certainly wasn't a guarantee. But, Hermione was _not_ worried about him going to St. Mungo's to get checked out. She knew that it was far too embarrassing of a problem for the _virile_ wizard to admit to. Even if he did go, she was positive that they wouldn't be able to determine the source of his infertility.

Making an amused sound, Hermione sat herself down in Cygnus's lap. "Oh, darling, don't fret on this." She told him, her voice saccharine sweet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his own arms come to rest around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "We will have a baby of our own someday, and until then we just have to keep trying." She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, and felt him quickly relax.

He pulled away, rewarding her with the hint of a smirk. "Oh, I am certain you will be up to the task. I know how much you like the practice." Hermione could completely understand how successful he was with his seduction. He was a very good looking man, even with the bit of gray hair included, and he always knew exactly what to say to keep you wanting more.

Hermione giggled at him. "Unfortunately, the practicing will have to wait." She stood up, smoothing the silk of her robe. "More tea?" She asked, before pouring him another cup, and adding a spoonful of the honey he loved, perfect to cover the taste of the potion he didn't even know he was taking.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! So, I have had a lot of questions about it...I wanted to let you know that the Lestrange OC will be showing up in chapter sixteen! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions! Huge shout out to alpha reader Kreeblim Sabs for being so awesome!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter fourteen and be on the lookout for chapter fifteen soon!

* * *

 **February 17th, 1935**

Hermione was surprised to wake up with Cygnus still in bed with her. He was a very early riser, usually earlier than her, and so she was accustomed to being all alone in the morning, giving her a chance to mentally prepare for the day.

Really, she thought, it shouldn't surprise her that he was still a bed. He seemed to be taking Valentine's day to new levels of affection, but then, she figured it was probably just because Cassiopeia was away in France for a long holiday, visiting her cousin. Normally, despite earlier promises, their sex life was regulated to the darkness of the bedroom after everyone else in the house was asleep. But with his eldest daughter out of mind, perhaps he felt a bit free.

She was already naked from the evening before, when she and Cygnus had both had a bit too much to drink in the library, debating some legislation regulating muggleborns in their society. Cygnus was of the mind that they should regulate muggleborns, not just because they were inferior, but because of the looming threat of Grindelwald on the continent. Hermione wanted to shout at him that _she_ was a muggleborn, but she knew that it would be suicide to reveal such a secret to her bigoted husband. Instead, she tried to frame her argument from the perspective of being personally affected by Grindelwald, seeing as her imaginary father had been killed by the dark wizard.

It had been a surprisingly amicable debate, and Cygnus had conceded to some of her points, though he was hard to sway. He could never quite hide the fact that he found her opinion as somewhat lesser, seeing as she was a woman, and just couldn't possibly comprehend the complex legalities of the Wizengamot. Over the years, she'd wore her husband down to the point that they could have these little conversations, on good days.

Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was the passionate arguing, but they had stumbled up the stairs together, lips battling for dominance and fingers desperately working at the buttons on robes. It had made Hermione a little giddy, feeling a bit like a giggling schoolgirl at Hogwarts, slipping away with some boy to find an empty classroom or hidden alcove. Their resulting encounter had been incredibly satisfactory for both parties. If Hermione was going to be in this farce of a relationship, she should at least get some pleasure out of it.

Now, though, she could feel his lips kiss the delicate skin of her neck, the arm wrapped around her waist dipping down lower, until it was slipping through the slight wetness of her folds. Hermione moaned softly, tilting her hips back into his straining erection, feeling it hard and ready for her body. It felt so lovely to have him circle the little button at the top of her sex, an action that was sure to have her seeing stars with enough patience.

He nudged his cock against her cleft, pressing inside of her until he was fully seated inside of her, spooning against her body. He hissed at the tightness of her, giving her a few moments to adjust to him, still pressing insistently against her clit until she was whining and pressed back into him, desperate for him to move. He began to rock into her body, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed.

Hermione felt her head spinning with the sensation of him, his hands running all over her body, cupping her breasts and her center, pinching and soothing her nipples. The feeling of his hot breath near her ear tickled her, but had her pressing back into him, as she felt orgasm begin to build, her core achy and sensative, a need taking root deep in her belly.

She wrapped her own arm back, letting her hand hold his blond head close to her, so she could twist herself quite severe to give him a kiss. His thrusting increased in frequency, and Hermione could tell that he was close as well. The fervent circling of her clit found time with the bang of their bed against the wall, and Hermione knew that she was _so close, so fucking close_ and if she just closed her eyes and let go…

"Cygnus." She breathed out with a sigh, feeling her walls tightening around him, sending him over the edge. He pressed his face into her shoulder, his body rocking through the ebbs of orgasm, a strangled groan caught in his throat.

But, in the afters, Hermione felt herself come down from her little fantasy. She wasn't a school girl, in love with her boyfriend, off for passionate encounters. No, sex with Cygnus was always going to be a bit shallow, even if he could get her there. They didn't love each other and as much as she wanted to imagine it was true, she was never swept away in a passionate encounter that young women dream about.

And it just made her a bit sad.

Even though she wished it, there was nothing to be done about it. Perhaps someday she would find love, but for now she could content herself with this.

Cygnus untangled himself from her body, propping himself up on one side. He pushed some of her curly hair out of her face, tenderly. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up, darling? I will have Opal send you up some breakfast. I am sure you worked up quite an appetite after that. I know I have."

Watching him stand up from the bed, Hermione let her eyes wander over his body. There was no denying that Cygnus was a very attractive man. As much as she tried to plant seeds that he was getting older, there was no denying that he was still very fit. And he could have his moments. At one time, Hermione was sure that he could have been a wonderful husband to her, but that time had past.

Giving him a sad smile, Hermione nodded. "Yes, that sounds wonderful Cygnus." She responded, pushing the covers off of her body so that she could make her way to the bathroom. "Could you please make sure that Tommy eats a good breakfast? At least one piece of fruit - you know I hate it when he just eats pancakes."

She noticed his smile falter. No doubt he thought that their debauchery was going to continue with a romantic breakfast in bed. But, Hermione had things to do that day, and she wouldn't just leave Tommy confused as to why his mother was holed up all day in bed.

* * *

Cygnus skipped down the stairs towards the dining room with an extra skip in his step. Yes, he had planned on feeding his young wife in bed, but he knew that there was no convincing her of otherwise. Still, he was _extremely_ satisfied over the past few days, and as loathe as he was to admit it, he didn't think that he was up for another fuck so soon after.

He knew that there was more than one of his friends who lusted after his young wife. They bemoaned his good fortune at finding such a nubile young pureblood girl so soon after losing his first wife, Violetta, and seeing her youth made them all look at their own wives with critical eyes. Hermione was beautiful, a very different look from some of the more polished British young ladies. With her brown wavy hair and brown eyes, her body promised passion and he was more than willing to continue to foster that.

The blond couldn't deny that he was further bolstered with the knowledge that Hermione was far too proper to ever stray away from him, even if he couldn't do the same. Her doe eyes looked at him with such devotion, he knew that she never even thought of another man. And once he put his own child inside her, then the rest of his friends would know she was his forever.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he found Tom already sitting at the table, perfectly dressed for the day. Really, the boy was polite and well spoken, but Cygnus couldn't deny that there was something a bit off putting about him. He was far too aware for someone his age, and his parselmouth abilities made Cygnus - Slytherin to his core - a bit squeamish.

Picking up the paper, Cygnus cleared his throat. "Tom, your mother said you must eat a piece of fruit with breakfast. Why don't you have a banana?"

Before he was able to begin reading the news of the day, Tom interrupted him. "Where is mummy? And what were you doing all morning? Opal said I wasn't to disturb you."

"Your mother and I were just playing a little game. She is getting ready for the day and will be down shortly." Cygnus told him, with an uncomfortable smile on his face. He knew that the sex talk would likely fall to him, but he was not prepared to have it just yet.

"Were you bouncing on the bed? It sounded like you were." Tom said, a serious look on his face, as though he were contemplating his proper mother jumping up and down on the bed. "It sounded like lots of fun. Can I please join in next time?"

Cygnus shifted in his chair, feeling supremely uncomfortable. Unbidden, he felt disgust roll through his body at the idea of Tom hearing Hermione and he having sex, and he couldn't stop the sneer from forming on his face. "No, Tom." He said simply, not wanting to explain to the young boy what he was doing.

"Why not? You play all the time." The young boy argued. "I know that mummy loves me and she would let me play if I asked."

Staring at the black-haired boy made Cygnus irrationally upset. He detested how right the boy was, that Hermione always seemed to spoil him. That the boy could get away with anything - perhaps even murder - and in Hermione's eyes, he could do no wrong. Instinctually, he knew that the boy didn't really know what he was asking, that he was asking to participate in sex, but he hated the pushy and expectant way Tom argued with him.

"I said no. Do not back talk me." Cygnus said firmly, knowing that children Tom's age needed a strong hand to keep them in line. Cygnus didn't believe in physical punishment for his children, but he wouldn't tolerate this kind of misbehavior.

Tom, sullen, returned to his breakfast, a look on his face as if he intended to take it up with Hermione. Cygnus thought this was probably good, because he certainly didn't want to explain this situation to her. Staring at the boy, over the top of the newspaper, Cygnus felt annoyance and anger begun to bubble up inside of him. He'd grown to detest the boy through the years.

If Hermione wasn't quite so attached to him, Cygnus was sure that he could have gotten him sent away to some kind of boarding school years ago. But, he also detested the relationship that Hermione had with him. She was such a nurturing mother, he supposed, that she couldn't help it. Violetta had, unfortunately, been very cold to her children, and they always knew that her love was conditional. He knew that this was partly why Dorea had taken so strongly to Hermione when she first arrived, because she'd been starving for motherly love.

But, it was also why he was so keen on getting Hermione pregnant. He just knew that once she had a child of her _own_ , she would see that Tom didn't hang the moon. And Cygnus knew then that she wouldn't always be concerned about Tom first - she would see that her relationship with him, as his wife, was much more important that looking after her late cousin's half-blood spawn.

* * *

 **September 30th, 1935**

Hermione sat waiting in the muggle diner with Tommy in Birmingham, watching the rain pour down outside. Tommy was happily drinking a vanilla milkshake, while they waited for Marius to show up. Hermione had arranged to meet with her stepson at least twice a year since her husband had disowned him for being a squib, and this year so no different.

It didn't take long for her to spot him, running towards the building, still wearing his school uniform, with his blazer held over his head to stave off the rain. He looked more and more like a Black with each visit, but also more and more like a muggle. She wondered if Sirius, from her time, would have been proud to have such an ancestor. She wondered if anyone ever even talked about Marius in his time. After all, he would have been Walburga's uncle...did she ever compare her son to the forgotten squib?

He slipped into the chair across from her, running his hands through wet hair, trying to make it presentable again. She smirked at him, thinking that he was quite a good looking guy. His haircut had morphed again, this time cropped short on the sides, but left long on the top, so that you could see the waviness that he still had. "Afternoon, Hermione. Tom." He said with a sheepish smile on his face, ruffling Tommy's hair to her son's irritation. "Sorry I was late."

Hermione held up her arm. "Don't worry about it Marius. I understand with the rain it must have been a little harder to get over here. Or were you hung up by your girlfriend?"

Marius looked at her completely shocked. "How'd you know? You aren't a legilimens or something are you?" A combination of hesitation and interest could be read in his eyes. Hermione felt her heart clench when she realized just how hard it must be to know about a completely other, magical world, but not being a part of it. She wondered if her parents had ever felt that way too.

Hermione tapped at her collar. "Oh, you just have a little lipstick on your collar." She grinned, a bit pleased that her intuition had been correct. She was sure with his looks, he was quite a hit with all of the muggle girls at school. Besides, he was sixteen now...that was certainly a reasonable age to start dating in the muggle world. "I hope you are making smart decisions, though." She stared at him pointedly.

He's cheeks blushed bright red. "Of course, Hermione. It's...not like that." He assured her, and Hermione was pleased to know that he was still a bit of child, even though he was growing up. "Well, tell me, how is everyone? Has Dorea got a boyfriend?"

She snorted. "I think your father would have a coronary if he thought that Dorea had a _boyfriend_. No, as far as I know she doesn't have a special guy in her life, but she is only a fourth year. It's probably a bit early for her."

"Well, Pollux was already married when he was Dorea's age." Marius countered.

Hermione shook her head, sad. "Surely, you understand that that was a different situation, right, Marius?" She was sure he didn't think much of it when he was just a boy, but now he had a bit more awareness over the world. Seeing him nod, she continued. "I think your father would rather see Cassiopeia settled before he tries to find someone for Dorea. Your older sister hasn't had much luck in that department." She went back and forth with Cassiopeia. Sometimes she seemed to be making progress, but other times she just acted so entitled.

Marius snorted. "Well, she will have trouble getting someone to fall in love with her, with the way she acts." Hermione wanted to chide him, but she knew how rude Cassiopeia had been to Marius, and some of the things she'd said about him as well, so she supposed she couldn't blame him for feeling a bit bitter about it. "What about you Tommy? How have you been?"

Tommy looked up at the older boy, with a smile. "Cygnus took me pheasant hunting last weekend and now Abraxas Malfoy is mad because I shot a pheasant first, and he didn't get one the whole day." Hermione wondered if hearing about his father doing fatherly things with Tom would make Marius uncomfortable.

To her amusement, though, he just snorted. "Yeah, well Abraxas Malfoy has always been a little shit, Tommy. Don't worry about him."

Hermione scolded him for using such language in front of Tommy, but she couldn't hide her smile. "How is school going?" Hermione asked, ran hoping that Marius was still doing well despite not having formal education when he was younger.

He ran his fingers through his hair again, letting out a sigh. "I've actually wanted to talk to you about that. I enjoy school, but...I think I know what I want to do with my life. I really want to be a chef."

Hermione thought back to him being so precise when they made Tommy's birthday cake so many years ago. Surprisingly, she thought it would really suit him. She covered his hand with her own. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Marius. So what are your plans?"

"I actually got a place with one of the chefs in one of the fancy French restaurants in town. He let me cook for him once and he agreed to take me on as an apprentice. For a fee." His cheeks were bright red at this point. "And, well, the Milners can't afford the cost _and_ my school fees on top of it. I don't want to drop out of school, Hermione, but I just think that this is what I want to do with my life. So I suppose I was wondering...if you would be able to help me with the fees?"

He looked at her so hopefully, Hermione felt her heart skip. As if he really thought that she was going to turn him out or tell him no or laugh at him for wanting to follow his dreams. "I, of course I will help you Marius." Hermione told him, biting her lower lip. "I don't know when I will be able to change some galleons into muggle money, but, how much do you need?"

Really, it was such a reasonable number in the end, that Hermione knew it was an amount of galleons that Cygnus would never miss in a thousand years, considering she knew the amount he spent on jewelry and little trinkets that he gave to her.

Pulling Marius into a hug goodbye, she promised him that she would change some money in Diagon Alley on the way home, and that he could expect an owl later that night that would hold the funds to finance his new career. Really, Hermione was so pleased at how well Marius was adjusting to the muggle world. She couldn't wait to someday try the food that he created.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad you are liking this story and the many different characters that the story focuses on. I am glad that you all are still reading because I know this isn't really a traditional kind of story, so it really does mean a lot to me! If you want, you can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge shout out to Kreeblim Sabs, who is my wonderful alpha reader. Seriously, if you haven't read her story Spectacular Adventures - its a Rolf x Luna - I highly recommend :)

Please let me know what you thought of chapter fifteen and be on the lookout for chapter sixteen soon!

* * *

 **April 23rd, 1936**

"When will you find out from the Selwyns?" Flavia asked, pushing her pram with a sleepy new baby girl inside of it. Graham was walking beside them, while Tommy ran ahead a few paces, but making sure that he could stay within his mother's eyesight. They were going for a walk through the botanical gardens - which no longer existed - before heading to Diagon Alley for lunch.

Hermione sighed, thinking about all of the discussions that Cygnus had been having with the Selwyns lately, trying to nail down a contract for their son, a sixth year at Hogwarts, and Cassiopeia. The girl had grown more and more despondent as more and more families within the Sacred Twenty-Eight snubbed her. Both Cygnus and Cassiopeia were under the distinct impression that families should be lining up for a chance at a marriage with someone from the Black family.

Unfortunately, it had gotten around a bit that there might be something _wrong_ with Cassiopeia, seeing as she was already so old, and so many other families had already passed her over. Hermione thought it was ridiculous that at age twenty you were considered too old to marry, but she held her tongue, knowing that her stepdaughter was incredibly sensitive over the issue, especially since Dorea had gotten more than one offer, though Cygnus was hoping to wait until Cassiopeia was settled before he would make a contract on Dorea's behalf.

"I honestly don't know." Hermione told her friend. "I wish that Cassiopeia could just find someone that she loved, and not have to go through all of this nonsense."

Flavia gave her a warm smile. "Well, not everyone can find a love match like you and Cygnus did." Hermione had to bite her tongue to stop herself from revealing the circumstances of her marriage. She stared off into the distance where Tommy had stopped by some bushes, and thought about the sacrifices that she'd made for him. She knew that she would do it over again. "Speaking off you and Cygnus, how is it going? You know...with the baby?"

Hermione couldn't stop her sighing now. "Obviously….we try all the time, but his family has gotten so involved, it is getting annoying you know? Cygnus already has a son, so I don't understand why they are putting so much pressure on us to have more children."

"Oh, you know how those mothers-in-law can be." Flavia said, patting her friend on the arm. "They have nothing better to do now that their children are grown. They just want to be sure that their family line flourishes. I mean...I think that Eugenia wouldn't be happy even if I have Gareth nine children!"

The brunette laughed. "Please tell me your aren't going to have nine children Flavia."

"Of course not! I mean...I would _like_ five children, but only time will tell if that's possible." The blonde looked shyly down at the little girl nestled in her pram. Flavia's daughter was called Rosalie and she was possibly the most beautiful baby that Hermione had ever seen. She truly did look like a little rosebud, with wisps of blonde hair and chubby cheeks. Graham was in awe of his baby sister.

Hermione bit her lip, feeling a bit silly discussing this with Flavia when she knew _exactly_ why she didn't have her own bundle of joy on this trip. "I just...everyone assumes that I am the reason why Cygnus and I don't have a baby yet, but well...Cygnus is a grandfather already. He is nearing fifty...I suggested that he go to St. Mungo's to get checked out, and well...he wasn't too happy with _that_ suggestion."

"Oh, of course not. You know men with their pride." Flavia said with a giggle before pausing, a look of horror on her face. "What's that?"

They had just reached the top of the hill that looked down into Diagon Alley, and Hermione could see bolts of light, most worryingly some of them being the bright, eerie green of the Killing Curse. Swearing underneath her breath, Hermione knew exactly what was happening. Of course she knew about Grindelwald and some of his tactics, but it had been so peaceful here that she couldn't imagine him or any of his forces attacking in broad daylight in Diagon Alley. "Grindelwald." She said, before turning to face Flavia. "Can you apparate home?"

"No." Flavia said, gripped her wand in one hand and Graham's hand in the other. "I'm trying just I can't get out."

"Anti-apparition wards." Hermione said, quietly. She knew that Grindelwald had previously sent forces into Britain, in the hopes that the bloodshed would get the British ministry on his side or draw them into war. She knew that they killed randomly and without hesitation from her history lessons, but she couldn't imagine it happening here. If there had been any previous skirmishes with Grindelwald's forces, Cygnus hadn't shared them with her, and they certainly hadn't been reported in the Daily Prophet. "Hide here, Flavia. I will put up a barrier for you, but if anyone you don't know comes by, don't hesitate to maim or kill them."

The blonde had tears streaking down her cheeks, but she nodded, grateful for Hermione's guidance and cool demeanor. Hermione quickly put up some wards that would keep Flavia and her children safe, not letting herself relax for a moment.

But then, she realized that Tommy was missing. "I have to go find Tommy." She told her friend, before running off into the fray, hearing her friend call after her that it wasn't safe. Hermione couldn't have cared that it wasn't safe at that moment.

It was odd in a way, how easily it was for her to slip back into the habits that she had honed so carefully during the war. This was a part of her that couldn't be erased by pureblood living, where so many of the women were completely unaware of the dangers that lay out in the world and the men didn't have to think of the possibility that someone could hurt you just as badly as you could hurt them.

She was in the thick of it before she knew it, dodging and deflecting curses with practiced ease that had many people looking at her in awe. It wasn't hard to tell which of the duelers were Grindelwald's men, as they all seemed to delight too much in striking down innocent victims. It reminded her of the Department of Mysteries so many years ago, facing a maniacal Antonin Dolohov who didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was trying to murder school children.

"Tom!" She screamed, looking desperately for her son, knowing that she wouldn't stop until her son was safe in her arms. She sent a variety of spells to take out the opposition, without killing them, knowing that the aurors had to be arriving soon. "Tommy!" She cried, looking down alleys and streets for her son.

Turning the corner off of the main street, Hermione found Tommy cowering, under the wand of a grinning wizard. Suddenly, all the rage that Molly Weasley had displayed to protect Ginny from Bellatrix made so much more sense, and she couldn't stop herself from reacting. Her first concern was sending a shield to block her precious son, but after that she knew that the enemy needed to be _handled_.

It wasn't quite the cruciatus, but she knew that the curse she sent at the man would be incredibly painful. Even hearing the man's agonized calls couldn't stop the rage inside of her. She needed him to _hurt_ , so that he would think twice before hurting her precious, innocent child again.

She didn't stop, she _couldn't_ stop, until she saw the familiar auror uniform running down the street. Flicking her wand, she watched in satisfaction as tight ropes wrapped around the man who was sure to be sent packing to Azkaban. Lifting the shield that was protecting Tommy, she wrapped her boy in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

Pulling back, she looked at him, cupping his cheeks. "Tommy, are you alright? Please tell me, did that man hurt you?"

His own eyes had tiny tears in the corner of his eyes, and Hermione realized that he was scared beyond belief. It was comforting in a way, the way that he wrapped his arms around her waist in a desperate hug, just what that meant to him. He was _afraid_ of dark magic and dark wizards, he wasn't fascinated by it. It made her feel even more sure that she'd made positive changes. "I'm fine mummy. I want to go home."

She nodded, thinking of the boy from the memories that Harry had described. Emotionless. Unconcerned with social norms. Certainly, he wouldn't have been wanting his mummy. "Yes, let's go walk back to Flavia, make sure she is okay, and then we can get home. We've both had a big scare today."

* * *

 **May 5th, 1936**

Tommy liked going on the pheasant hunt with Cygnus. It was nice to be treated like an adult for a change. Usually his stepfather was busy scolding him or treating him like a little baby. He didn't like that it meant spending time with Brutus and Abraxas Malfoy, though he didn't mind if Pollux tagged along, so long as he didn't bring Wally.

Brutus Malfoy had shown up at the house with a copy of the paper, several days old, with a picture of his mother on the front page. Tom knew the picture well, as he had cut the picture out and put it in his trunk. His mummy had looked so beautiful and strong. She'd protected him from all of those bad men, and she'd made them _hurt_ for even trying to hurt him. He was proud that she was his mother.

The blond man had pressed the newspaper into Cygnus's hands with relish and a grin that made you feel oily just looking at it. "Quite the _warrior witch_ you managed to bag for yourself there Cyg. Makes you rethink marrying someone from the continent, doesn't it? Practically uncivilized for a woman to be dueling in broad daylight."

From the stiff posture of Cygnus's back, Tom could tell that he was about lie about whatever it was he was going to say. "I know you've been jealous of Hermione since the first day you met her, Brutus, but certainly you can't think that a mother protecting her child is _uncivilized_. What would your wife have done?"

Brutus gave him a smirk, and Tommy was trying desperately to read all of the subtext in their conversation. He got the impression that Cygnus wasn't happy with his mother for fighting in Diagon Alley, but he wouldn't stand for anyone trying to put her down. He couldn't be sure if Cygnus _actually_ thought it was brave of her to protect her child. He was certain that Mrs. Malfoy wouldn't have even come close to his mother, though. She was _so brave_.

"Yes, well, I suppose the savages in France know exactly how to put Grindelwald and his forces down, seeing as they have been doing such a good job containing him." Brutus said finally. Tommy understood that he was using an attempt to deflect the conversation off his own wife's abilities.

"Well, Hermione did save several people's lives." Cygnus said, his voice steady and sure. "The aurors were sure to say that and Greengrass can't stop gushing about how Hermione saved his heir."

"And to think, all this time you had such a dangerous little dueler living under the same roof as you. Sharing a bed, even." Brutus didn't seem to mind talking about things that were better left to your own home out in public. Tom thought it was rather uncouth. After all, there was a time and a place for everyone.

"Truthfully, she probably just was reacting instinctually. I doubt Hermione has ever been in a real duel in her life." Cygnus's shoulders were tight - another lie, Tom identified. Why would Cygnus try to downplay his mother's prowess? Was he embarrassed by the idea that his young wife might be much more skilled than he could ever hope to be?

Tommy wasn't going to stand for it. He wasn't going to let them get away with disrespecting his mummy. "My mother is the greatest witch alive." He said, his voice unwavering, despite knowing that Brutus Malfoy was an _important_ man. "She could take either one of you in a duel and you would be pleading with her to let you yield." He felt his nostrils flare. Cygnus and Brutus were pampered and spoiled, but his mother...even if he didn't understand how, he knew that she had real experience.

Brutus just patted him on the shoulder, giving him a condescending smirk once again. "Of course she is." He said sarcastically, as though he didn't believe a word Tommy said.

Tommy wished that he could wipe that smirk off his face.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1936**

After they had dropped Dorea off at King's Cross so that she could go to Hogwarts - Tommy was still rankling that he had to wait _two_ more years - Cygnus, Hermione, Cassiopeia and Tommy made their way to Grimmauld Place for a family luncheon. Hermione hated these more than she cared to admit, as she was certain her mother-in-law would continue to badger her about babies.

She usually relegated herself to spending time with the children, knowing that they were mostly unaware of the family politics involved. It was also a bit helpful that Cassiopeia's marriage prospects with the Selwyns had fallen through. Ursula could save some of her bile for her granddaughter and bemoan the fact that she was going to become an old maid. Hermione wished she could tell the poor girl about the knowledge she had from the future, that she was going to come up empty handed.

The worst was that Hermione thought if they would just look outside the Sacred Twenty-Eight, she was positive that Cassiopeia could find some nice young man to spend the rest of her days with. Or maybe even she could find love if she would consider marrying a half-blood. But, to say such things outloud was sure to get herself blasted off the family tree, so Hermione kept it to herself.

While Tommy was playing with Wally - Hermione was amused to see her son's blatant irritation with the pretend games that the blonde girl wanted to play - she sat with Alphard talking with him. Alphard was a very happy boy, and Hermione wanted to cultivate that in him. Part of her was worried that knowing everything she did about the Black family was making some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. That she only liked the ones who were blasted from the family tree or who had married Potters. Perhaps, if she tried a bit harder with Walburga, the girl would have a more positive outcome. She knew that she was always a bit cold with the girl, but she made it very hard to love her.

Walburga was incredibly spoiled by both of his parents. Hermione was glad to see that Pollux didn't seem to detest her, something she was difficult knowing that Walburga was not his child, but rather the product of his father's affair. But, Hermione also wondered if spoiling the girl was easier than dealing with her. If she was happy and not bothering him, then Pollux could continue to ignore her.

But, Alphard was turning out to be a very good child. He didn't seem to resent his older sister in anyway, and she hoped that it would continue that way through the years. "Alphard, you are getting so big! It won't be long until you are going to go to Hogwarts."

The six year old looked at her shyly, giving her a toothy grin. He was missing two teeth and Hermione thought it was just the cutest little thing. She'd been disappointed that she couldn't celebrate Tommy losing his teeth by telling him about the tooth fairy, seeing as that was definitely a muggle tradition and she wouldn't be able to explain why she knew about it to her husband.

"Yes, in one-two-three-four-five years, I go to Hogwarts." Alphard said, counting on sticky fingers.

Hermione giggled. "Very good, Al! Which house do you think that you will be in?" She asked, though it was a bit of a useless question in the Black household. It was _expected_ that everyone would go to Slytherin, less the end up like great-great Aunt Gardenia who had been a Hufflepuff and was disowned. Suddenly Hermione felt so much worse for Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor and she was a bit surprised that Orion and Walburga had waited so long before disowning him.

"Slytherin." The boy said shyly, looking down at his feet, before he rushed off to dig through the toy box over in the corner of the room. Hermione looked at Alphard fondly, and thought back to a time when Tommy had been that little. Her son was growing taller every year, and it was hard for her to think that in just two years it would be his turn for Hogwarts. She knew it shouldn't cliche, but he really had grown up so fast.

She brought her attention back to the book that she'd brought with her, unwilling to rejoin the rest of the adults until it was absolutely necessary. She'd barely gotten a page in, when she heard Alphard's shocked cry followed by full blown tears. Looking up, Hermione was surprised to see Tom standing next to him, clearly having just pinched the little boy.

Shocked, Hermione gasped, telling Tom to wait for her on the couch, while she gave Alphard cuddles to calm him down. It didn't take long for the boy to return to his toys, tears wiped from his cheeks. When she turned back around, she saw Tom staring that them with hard eyes.

Sitting next to her son on the couch, she was genuinely confused about why he would have tried to hurt the other boy. "Tom, just what were you thinking, pinching poor Alphard? He's done nothing to you."

Tom focused his eyes firmly on his lap, unwilling to look at her, until she used her hand to guide his chin up so she could look in his eyes, filling with tears. His lower lip wobbled a bit, and she was surprised that he was about to cry. "Because...you might like him more than me."

"Oh darling." Hermione said wrapping her arms around his body. "Were you jealous of the attention I was giving Al?" Feeling him nod against her shoulder, Hermione sighed, wondering just where he got the idea. He was her son. "What gave you the idea that I could like anyone more than you?"

Tom cried a bit heartier now. "Because Cygnus and Cassiopeia said that when I go to Hogwarts, you won't care about me as much any more, because you will have a new baby."

Hermione couldn't stop her gasp at his words. She wondered just when Cygnus and Cassiopeia had said that, and she was even more horrified that her son might have overhear such hateful things. "Tom, you know that even if you go to Hogwarts, no one will _ever_ replace you in my heart. You are my son and I love and care about you. I _promise_."

The boy gave her one more squeeze and Hermione felt a bit better knowing that he still believed her words. All of his worries seemed to be lifted once she'd reassured him. "Do you feel better now? Why don't you go get cleaned up for dinner." Her son gave her a tentative smile, wiping at his nose and cheeks, before he ran off in the direction of the bathroom.

The witch sighed, thinking on Tom's words. She didn't want him to ever doubt her love and support, but she couldn't believe her husband would be plotting like that. The idea that she would ever stop loving her son just because she had another baby was preposterous to her. She would have to speak to Cygnus to set him straight, once and for all.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! It means so much to me that you are enjoying what I am writing. I forgot to say, last chapter was a third of the way through this story! Wow! We still have so much left. But now, onto this chapter, which I have been seriously looking forward to! Introducing the mysterious Lestrange OC...

Please let me know what you thought of chapter sixteen and be on the lookout for chapter seventeen soon!

* * *

 **January 3rd, 1937**

She would recognize this room anywhere, even though it seemed an age ago that she last stood in the cavernous hall. On one side of the room, a statue of Salazar Slytherin loomed and Hermione cringed at it's ugliness. She just wished she remembered how on Earth she got here.

It looked exactly how she remembered it being, back when she and Ron had come down here to destroy Hufflepuff's Cup, breaking off one of the fangs from the decaying body of the basilisk. The body took up most of the room's space, as suffocating as the snake itself would have been when it was alive. Hermione shuddered to think that Harry had faced this thing on his own when he was only twelve.

She was so confused...just what was she doing here? She hadn't visited Hogwarts, let alone the Chamber of Secrets, since that fateful day when her life changed forever and Harry died.

A noise caught her attention, and Hermione spun around, reaching for her wand, only to find that she didn't have it on her. There, standing just a few paces away was Tommy, looking his usual self. She smiled and pressed a hand against her beating heart. "Merlin, Tommy you scared me." She said, relieved that it was only him.

She crossed the distance between them, each step she took splashing water around, echoing in the empty room. When she got to her son, she pushed his wavy hair up off of his forehead so that she could get a good look at him. He lifted his head to face her, and Hermione couldn't stop her gasp when she was met with a cruel smirk and red eyes.

Hermione took a step back, pressing her hand to her mouth, horrified. She hadn't seen those eyes in so many years, and it had been so long since they haunted her dreams. She had been sure that she was never going to see them again.

Tommy began to laugh, cruelly, before speaking in a voice that didn't belong to him. "I wouldn't want to scare you, _mother_." He advanced on her, each step making her sweet boy transform into something sinister, until he loomed over her, towering down. His face was evil, noseless, and deathly pale, and he seemed to relish in the fear that she was exhibiting. "I really had you fooled, didn't I _mummy_?" He mocked her.

She felt tears running down her face in horror, and shook her head back and forth, unwilling to accept what she saw before her. "No! Tommy isn't anything _like_ you! He is a sweet, loving boy. He would never try to hurt me." She insisted, closing her eyes.

Even with her eyes closed, she couldn't block the feeling of his presence all around her, larger than life, closing in around her, until she almost couldn't breath. While she struggled against him, desperately, his reedy laugh echoed in her head, chilling her to the bone.

…

"Hermione!" Cygnus called, making her eyes snap open in surprise. It felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. Her husband was grasping tightly onto her wrists, but concern was evident on his face. "Hey, are you alright? You were practically beating me in your sleep."

She took a deep breath, trying to process her intense relief that it was only a dream. Not a dream, a nightmare. A terrible nightmare. "I-", she didn't know where to start with her husband. He was clearly concerned, but he would never be close enough for her to reveal that she came from another time, and so, he could never understand her fears concerning Tommy's future. "I just had a nightmare." She ran her hand through her wild locks, finding them damp with sweat.

"What was it about?" He asked gently, looking at her fondly, pressing a stray curl behind her ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't really want to talk about it, but she knew that he wouldn't rest until she came up with something to tell him. "Oh...it was just about Grindelwald. I haven't had a dream about him in a long time. Not since my parents…" If there was one thing she could count on, it was that Cygnus had absolutely no skills or desire to talk about death, let alone the murder of her supposed parents. Instead, he nodded, and tucked her back into the bed, before settling in next to her, a kiss pressed to her temple.

Hermione took calming breaths, trying to get her racing pulse to return to normal. As much as she wanted to, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to get any more sleep. It had been years since she'd had nightmares about Voldemort, and it made her uneasy that they had been rekindled, seemingly without reason. It had taken her months to destroy any association she'd had between her sweet Tommy and Lord Voldemort, but now it was as if a switch had been flipped.

Determined to forget about it, she knew that Tommy deserved more than to be compared to a man he had no _chance_ of becoming. She was positive she had already given him such a better life that the idea that a future Dark Lord was sleeping one floor below her was preposterous.

* * *

 **June 2nd, 1937**

Ever since her nightmare at the beginning of the year, Hermione had been keeping an especially close eye on Tommy, looking for any _hint_ that he might be more than he seemed. She felt badly, doubting her own son, but she couldn't help it. To her delight, she found that he was a rather introverted, but still brilliant boy. It was true that he didn't warm up to everybody, but to he was very loving with her and Dorea.

He was slightly cooler to Cygnus, but Hermione sensed it was probably just the boy understanding that Cygnus had never accepted him as his son. Hermione was glad that he had some male role model in his life, but it still hurt her that he would feel anything but loved.

She had never even thought that he still thought about his muggle father, or the fact that he wasn't living with him. It had been several years ago, after Ursula said something rude in front of Tommy, that she had sat down with him and explained that she wasn't his biological mother, but rather his cousin, and that his biological mother so wanted to raise him, but she had died shortly after he was born. She explained that his father was a muggle and so that was why she was raising him.

It always seemed as though he'd accepted that, and hadn't wanted anything to do with the man he shared a name with, until Tommy hesitantly broached the topic in the library one afternoon. He really enjoyed reading about the history of the wizarding world, especially the founders, ever since learning about his connection to Salazar Slytherin. "Mummy?" He asked, so tentative and nervous that it made Hermione's heart clench.

"What is it my love?" Hermione queried, wanting Tom to know that he could ask her about _anything_. She wanted him to feel comfortable with her, even if it meant bringing up unpleasant topics.

"Would it be possible...that is...I've been thinking a lot about my father." He stumbled over his words, in a completely uncharacteristic manner that took her by surprise. She was so used to her son being rather good at communicating his wants and desires. "I was wondering if I might meet him."

Hermione scrunched her nose in surprise. "What has brought this on, Tommy? You haven't wanted to meet him before."

"I know that he is _just_ a muggle." Her son huffed dismissively, in a way that made her cringe internally. "But he is still my sire, and I think that I would like to meet him. See what kind of person he is."

She found it rather mature of him, and quite reasonable as well. Pressing her hands together in her lap, she tried to give him a smile. "Now, Tommy, you know that muggles are hardly different than us. They are still people, they just don't have the same abilities as we do." She hated the idea that Cygnus's views might be rubbing off on him...perhaps another trip to visit Marius was in order. "But, I think that is entirely reasonable. I can't make any promises, but I will write to him and we will see what he says. I have to prepare you though...he might not want to meet with you."

It was hard to see him mask the feeling of rejection, but she didn't want to build him up with false hopes. "I understand, mummy."

She walked around the table, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You know that I will love you always, no matter what, Tommy. You are my son and you always will be." She whispered to him, wanting to assuage any fears he had about not being wanted. He returned her hug, squeezing her tightly, and letting out just one tiny sniffle. Hermione pulled back and looked at him with bright eyes. "Oh my love, you have grown so much. I wish I could still hold you in my arms, but you've gotten so big and strong. Just think, in one more year, you will be off to Hogwarts."

With all of his fears chased away with happier thoughts, Tommy's mood considered visibly.

* * *

 **August 24th, 1937**

Hermione sipped her champagne, looking out at the party from the edge of the room. Beside her, Flavia and Gareth Greengrass chatted with her, the older man making the point to thank her for saving his wife once again. It seemed that the man was rather smitten with his young wife and was happy to have her in one piece, but at this point Hermione found the attention a little embarrassing.

Cygnus had spirited away with Cassiopeia, seeing as this was the last social engagement of the season, and finding his daughter an eligible husband seemed to be his number one priority. Hermione didn't mind being relegated to her own devices, seeing as she usually had much more enjoyable conversations when she wasn't seen as arm candy for her husband. Plus, since she'd started wearing Gryffindor red dresses - constantly saying just how much they suited her coloring - he'd been less enthusiastic than if she wore green cocktail dresses. Really, Hermione found the house rivalries and expectations _exhausting_ at this point.

"Hermione, have you met my associate, Mr. Lestrange?" Gareth asked suddenly, grabbing her attention. She hadn't heard the name for years, and it sent a shiver up her spine. "He is from France, just as you are."

Her eyes widened, but she turned to look at the man, offering him her hand, taken aback by his appearance. This man looking _nothing_ like Rabastan or Rodolphus, starving and half mad from Azkaban. No, with his dark hair perfectly coiffed to the side, glittering brown eyes, and sly smile, he was quite attractive.

He pressed his lips to the back of her hand in a formal bow, before righting himself. "Tu es un tresor." He said, letting his eyes roam over her body, not caring one lick if it was seen as inappropriate.

She was momentarily stunned by his words, cursing herself for not practicing her French more frequently in the years she had been in the past when she was meant to be a native speaker. "Je suis desole." Hermione said, shocked at the wavering note in her voice. "It has been many years since I have had the opportunity to speak French."

He laughed, a throaty rich laugh that made her smile. "But of course. I should make a better effort to speak English, since I have made England my home." His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, making him look full of life. She judged that he was maybe only a few years older than she was, possibly in his early or mid thirties.

Gareth cleared his voice. "Radalphus, this is Hermione Black, Cygnus's wife." The introduction seemed awkward and out of place after their earlier exchange. "Hermione, this is Radalphus Lestrange. He just moved to England recently."

"Yes, I can see why your husband would try to keep you a secret." He flirted, a permanent smile on his face, which was impossible to resist. Hermione felt flutters in her belly, when she realized that this was the first time in many years that a man had treated her as though she were utterly desirable, a prize even. "Would you care to join me for a dance?"

Deciding that she wanted to give the interesting man a chance, Hermione eagerly nodded. Taking his hand, she followed him onto the dance floor. He was a bit taller than her husband, but with his hands on her waist, it seemed almost as if they fit together _better_ than she ever had with Cygnus. It was a strange feeling to say the least.

"So, who were you before you came to England, Madame Hermione Black?" He asked, his slightly accented voice caressed her skin in a teasing way.

"Hermione Millefeuille." She murmured, looking up into his eyes while he twirled her around the room, appreciating the feel of his firm shoulders beneath his dress robes.

"Ah, yes the Millefeuilles of Marseille." He said in a sing-song kind of way, as though he were used to reciting family names.

It made Hermione feel a bit nervous, that this man here was probably the most likely to know that she was an imposter. That he might see through her carefully crafted disguise that she'd been able to keep up all these years. Looking away furtively, she tried to end the conversation. "Yes, but, as I said, that was a long time ago, and I prefer not to think of it."

Radalphus blanched, nervous that his words had been rude. "Oh, yes of course. I know that Grindelwald has left scars on all of us." He said, clearing his throat. She knew it was rude, but Hermione was glad that Albaric and Tempeste had been killed by the Dark Wizard, knowing that it was mostly a taboo topic here, so most people wouldn't question her story.

"What brings you to England, Mr. Lestange?" She asked, hoping the lighten the mood.

"Call me Radalphus, please." He requested, bending so that his cheek rubbed against her own. Hermione tried not to think of how the feel of his slight scruff made her heart skip a beat. "My children are nearing the age of schooling, and with the fighting, I thought that Hogwarts would be a better option than Beauxbatons."

That was a fair idea, Hermione decided. "And does...your wife find England agreeable as well?" She asked, scolding herself internally, for being so nosey about his personal life, and really, she didn't even know why she cared, because she was married herself. It wasn't as though she and Radalphus _could_ have a relationship, even though it felt so wonderful to have him hold her in his arms.

"She died many years ago, when my daughter was born." He said, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Hermione thought that he must have really loved her, though it did not seem as though he were too hung up on her death, based on how practiced he was at his flirting.

"That must have been difficult, raising children on your own." Hermione said, squeezing his hand in a gesture of comfort and praying that her hand didn't become sweaty. "Do you have many children?"

"Just two. My son, Edmond, will go to Hogwarts next year. My daughter, Mercedes is only eight, so she has a few more years." Radalphus explained. The song changed, and Radalphus pulled her close, so that there was not an inch between them while they swayed back and forth to the slow music.

"Edmond and Mercedes? Are you a fan of Dumas?" Hermione asked, before wanting to slap a hand over her mouth for revealing her knowledge of something so forbidden as muggle literature.

But, to her immense pleasure, Radalphus's smile only broadened, his white teeth standing out from tan skin. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. But you are the first person to have realized this. I don't often find many pureblooded ladies who make it a habit to read muggle authors."

Her cheeks blushed, but she just shrugged her shoulders. "My father was very open." She would leave it at that. Silence stretched between them for a few beats, before she tried to pick the conversation back up. "My son, Tom, will be starting Hogwarts next autumn as well. Perhaps he and Edmond will be friends."

"That would be very nice." Radalphus agreed, his eyes dipping momentarily to her lips. "I was unaware that Cygnus had any son except for Pollux."

Her words caught in her throat, while she tried to decide how to explain this tricky situation. Deciding to be honest...well, as honest as she could be...with Radalphus, she told him about Tom's origins. "Well, he is my adopted son. My cousin, Merope, died in childbirth, and I have been raising him ever since. Cygnus and I do not have any children together."

"Yes, I thought you were rather too young to be Pollux's mother." Radalphus said with a grin, one of his hands moving a bit lower until it rested at the small of her back. "Shall we go get a drink?" He offered, guiding her off of the dance floor.

Once they both had another glass of champagne in hand, Radalphus led her to a little secluded table where they could sit close to one another and talk quietly. It was quite nice, Hermione decided, chatting with the suave Frenchman. He gave her a level of comfort that she hadn't felt in many years, and it was odd just how well that they'd hit it off. Hermione couldn't remember that _ever_ happening, not even in the future. He made her laugh and laugh, and his whole presence drew her in, until the rest of the party faded away.

A clearing throat brought her out of her trance, and Hermione looked around surprised. It seemed as if they were some of the few remaining stragglers, and Cygnus looked quite annoyed, maybe even put out. Frowning, Hermione hoped that someone hadn't snubbed Cassiopeia again, or she was sure that she would never hear the end of it.

"Hermione, darling, we really should be going." Cygnus said, offering her hand to help her up, before wrapping his arm around her waist in a rather possessive fashion. "Lestrange." Cygnus greeted her companion cruelly.

"Yes, it was so lovely to chat with you, Radalphus." Hermione said, blushing once again for how caught up in the man she was. She couldn't ignore the way that Cygnus stiffened at her use of his first name. "I hope you have a pleasant evening."

"You as well, Hermione." He said, caressing her name in his mellifluous voice. "I hope that we will be seeing each other again soon. Black." He tipped his head at her husband, before Cygnus guided her towards the public floos.

* * *

 **December 31st, 1937**

On the morning of his eleventh birthday, Tommy swaggered into the dining room for breakfast with a confidence that neither of the Black children had. There was never any doubt in _his_ mind that he was a wizard and that he would be receiving an invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After all, he had the blood of Salazar Slytherin in his veins and he was going to be a _great_ wizard.

His mummy greeted him with a kiss to his cheek, and a huge hug, and a whisper about how big he'd grown. He didn't give a second thought to the fact that the post hadn't arrived yet, unwilling to give a hint of nerves that he wouldn't get his letter, instead calmly selecting a Belgian waffle for his plate, dousing it in butter and syrup.

By the time he'd gotten halfway through the fluffy waffle, the rather plain looking barn owl finally showed up, dropping a letter addressed to him. He would be going to Hogwarts in just a few short months. Congratulations were had around the table, though Tommy thought it was a bit odd to congratulate someone for something they were simply born with. Not wanting to face his stepfather's ire though, he kept his thoughts to himself.

His mummy hugged him once again. "Oh, I know you are going to make me so proud Tommy. Just think of all the wonderful things that you will learn!"

Yes, yes, of course, he would make her proud. He couldn't dream of having his mother disappointed in him. It would crush him. It was nice to dream about what he would learn, but right now he was more concerned with the tangibles. "When can we go pick out my wand?"

He couldn't wait to feel the power of magic coursing through his arm.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am excited that you all are excited about Mr. Lestrange as well!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter seventeen and be on the lookout for chapter eighteen soon!

* * *

 **July 26th, 1938**

Ever since he'd turned eleven, Tommy had been pestering Hermione about getting his wand. She had tried to reason with him, and tell him that it would only be extra temptation, as he couldn't actually use the wand until he _got_ to Hogwarts. That had worked for a while.

By the time summer arrived, and they received both Tommy and Dorea's school lists, he was practically insisting that they go. Hermione thought it was a bit funny, but she remembered how eager she'd been as a new student to go to Diagon Alley and get her books, wanting to learn everything she possibly could about her new life in the _magical_ world. She'd read each of her textbooks twice over by the start of term.

Of course, Tommy had grown up all his life surrounded by magic and magical books, so it wasn't quite as novel for him, but Hermione _knew_ how eager he was to go to Hogwarts.

So, with school lists in hand, Hermione brought Dorea and Tommy off to Diagon Alley with her one sunny Tuesday morning. The village was the same as it always was, though Hermione was always much more on guard since Grindelwald's people had made an appearance a few years prior. She also couldn't deny that she was on the lookout for the very handsome Radalphus Lestrange, who she hadn't seen since the party nearly a year before, to her disappointment. She wondered if he'd ever thought of her since then, as they seemed to hit it off rather well.

"Aren't we going to Ollivander's first?" Tommy whined, making Hermione and Dorea smile with one another.

"Sorry, Tommy, but we have to stop at Madame Malkins first. Dorea needs her uniform tailored, and you will as well. Then we can pick up the robes at the end of the day and you will be all set for school." Hermione said, ruffling his hair, to Tommy's embarrassment. "I promise that Ollivander's will be the next stop, darling."

Dorea had turned into quite the beautiful young woman, but she seemed to be completely oblivious to the appreciative glances she got, pushing her long blonde hair over her shoulder, eager to get her uniform tailored. She now stood a few inches taller than Hermione, and absolutely lived up to the stereotype of how pretty the Black family was with her pale skin and bright gray eyes, definitely taking after her father in coloring.

Uniforms procured with much huffing on Tommy's part, they hurried out of the shop, only to bump into a young man who could only be Charlus Potter, if his resemblance to Harry was any indication. It nearly stopped Hermione in her tracks, only he didn't have Harry's distinctive glasses and bright green eyes. "Hi Dorea." The young man bumbled his way over his words.

Dorea blushed, before nodding at her peer. "Charlus. Shopping for Hogwarts?" She inquired politely. The boy responded in the affirmative, but then there was no other reason for them to linger, and so Hermione guided the children in the direction of Ollivander's.

She couldn't help but smirk at Dorea. "When I first met you, Dorea, you told me that Charlus was older than you and you detested him and his bragging. What's happened?" She teased, watching Tommy as he paced a few steps ahead of them.

Dorea bit her lower lip, as though she were trying to remember that do so long ago. "Well, his birthday is in September, so I suppose he was older than me, and as a child, months seemed like years." She explained. "I don't detest him really...but, he's just so bloody...Gryffindor!" Dorea said with a huff, sending her baby blonde curls out of her face. "He's too bold."

Hermione nodded in understanding, knowing some of the failings of her old house, and didn't want to press the girl too much. But, if Hermione was a betting woman - and she thought it was a little bit unfair, seeing as she was from the future and all - she would bet on Charlus and Dorea being a love match. Really, it was exciting for her to think of the undoubtedly happy life her step daughter was going to have.

When they arrived at Ollivander's, she stood behind Tommy while the old wand maker gave his spiel about never forgetting a wand, correctly identifying Dorea's - 10 inch holly, with unicorn tail hair core - though he inquired about Hermione's wand, leading her to flounder for a moment, before settling on telling him that she'd gotten her wand from Gregorovitch. She hoped that that didn't end up being risky.

Tommy, who was rather bored with all the chit chat, and was ready to get his hands on a wand, knocked a shelf of wands over when he tested the first one in his hand. The second wand failed to yield a reaction, as did the third, until Ollivander looked her son over with keen blue eyes. "I think I have just the wand for you."

When Hermione laid her eyes on the Yew wand that had haunted her dreams for so long, she had to stop herself from letting the others know that anything was amiss. But then again, nothing really _was_ amiss. This was always the wand that he was meant to have. It wasn't as if the _wand_ had made him turn into Voldemort the first time around. Tommy seemed to realize that it was the wand meant for him, too, for as soon as the wood entered his hand, he turned his head to grin at Hermione, his face full of childish wonder.

"Yes, that's the wand for you. Phoenix feather core, 13 and a half inches. A _very_ powerful wand." Ollivander said with a smile. "I imagine you will do many _great_ things with that wand, Mr. Riddle."

Hermione felt her heart quicken at the words. Of course, the things that Voldemort had done could only be described as great, though they were also terrible. She would do anything to keep history from repeating itself. Seeing the childlike awe and excitement on Tommy's face gave her hope for change.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1938**

Hermione had been both been looking forward to this day and dreading it at the same time. Today was the day that Tommy would finally go off to Hogwarts to be educated in the ways of magic. She knew how excited he was at the prospect of learning and all that knowledge, but at the same time, she knew her son was growing up, and he wouldn't need her as much anymore.

It was hard to imagine what she would do with her days now that Tommy wouldn't be taking up most of her time.

She was also excited at the prospect of seeing Radalphus again, knowing that he also would be seeing his son off to Hogwarts. It was wrong, of course, to be thinking of any man other than her husband, but Radalphus was sticking in her mind.

Just a week ago, he'd sent her a little note, written in French, telling her about how he longed to see her beautiful face again, along with a beautiful, blush pink hydrangea. Even though Cygnus didn't speak French - despite the Black family's obnoxious family motto - she destroyed the note, not wanting to give her husband a reason to doubt her. But, she did put a statis on the flower, before placing it in the vase on her bedside table. When Cygnus asked about it, she told him she'd gotten it from the garden.

The four of them apparated to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Cassiopeia electing to stay home, even though it was such a big year for their family. Dorea was going to be a seventh year, and Tommy was a first year. Neither of the children seemed to broken up about the dour girl not coming with, though, so Hermione didn't press the issue.

First, Hermione wrapped her arms around Dorea's shoulders, pulling her in a tight hug. "Promise me you'll keep an eye on him?" She implored, feeling at least a little better that Dorea would be there to watch over Tommy. Dorea agreed, before turning to hug her father good bye.

Hermione in turn looked to her son, resisting the urge to run through his checklist with him, knowing that Tommy was just as fastidious about being prepared as she was. She felt tears form in her eyes, and blinked them away desperately, not wanting to embarrass him on his first day of school. He just looked so sweet, wearing his uniform.

Closing the distance between them, Hermione wrapped her arms around her son, sighing when she felt him return the hug just as tightly as she did. It wouldn't be too many more years before he was towering over her, but for now, he was still her little boy. "Promise me you will owl me tonight to let me know how the sorting goes?"

"Yes, mum." Tommy said, his voice wobbling a bit, and for a moment, Hermione thought he might be nervous about leaving her, too. But, when he pulled away, his face was a mask of fierce determination.

"Oh, study hard Tommy and I just know you will make me proud." She said, before pressing a kiss against his cheek. "Now, go get on the train before I change my mind and decide to homeschool you." Hermione teased - though she was only _mostly_ joking - before telling her son that she loved him too.

"Love you too, mum." Tommy responded, bouncing on his heels. "I promise to write." He said, before wishing Cygnus goodbye, and turning to follow Dorea onto the train.

Hermione watched him go, wiping an errant tear that had escaped her eye. Cygnus seemed to sense that this was an important moment for her, and for once, he sweetly wrapped his arms around her shoulders in support. "Let's get you home, love." He whispered into her ear. Hermione nodded, glancing around one time for Mr. Lestrange, but not seeing him anywhere, she let Cygnus side-along her home to the empty Black Manor.

...

Tommy Riddle was amazed with Hogwarts. It was much grander than anything he could have imagined, even compared to growing up in Black Manor. He was mesmerized by the ceiling in the Great Hall, seeing as it mimicked what the outdoor sky was like, but he tried to keep his amazement to himself, not wanting to be seen gawking like a _Hufflepuff_.

The train ride had been uneventful - he'd sat with Abraxas out of necessity rather than desire, but he'd also met a few other first years. Walburga had, mercifully, stayed away from him, seeing as he couldn't stand the girl and her spoiled behavior.

But now, he was eager to be sorted. Of course, he _knew_ he would be placed in Slytherin house, but he was still antsy to let everyone else in the school know he belonged. With having an R last name, though, he was in for quite a wait. Avery, Dolohov, Lestrange, and Malfoy all went to Slytherin before it was finally his turn. The old hat was barely placed on his head before it shouted "SLYTHERIN!" and Tommy made his way towards the Slytherin table.

Dorea was smiling warmly at him, and offered him a seat next to her, but Tommy politely declined, choosing instead to sit with his new dormmates. Rosier followed not many more after him.

To his absolute dismay, Walburga had also gone to Slytherin house and was sitting cuddled up next to Malfoy - Tommy snorted internally, as if _that_ was going to happen - and rudely commented on his presence in their new house. "Really? Letting _half-bloods_ into Slytherin now? What is Hogwarts coming to?"

Tommy felt his cheeks turn bright red with embarrassment at his cousin's words, looking around quickly, glad that his other housemates didn't seem to pay any attention to her words. Of course, Tommy had no illusions that he was a pureblood, but living surrounded by purebloods certainly made one forget every now and again. And really, there was no reason why he shouldn't be in Slytherin. He had more magic in his pinky than Walburga had in her whole body. "I have Salazar Slytherin's blood in my veins. I would say that qualifies _me_ far more than you, Wally."

He gave the girl a terrifying grin, before calling Slither to peak his head out from when he was hiding under Tommy's shirt. The small black snake had grown in size over the years on a steady diet of mice and rats, and could now drape comfortably over his shoulders. Walburga gave an undignified little squeal when she saw Tommy's familiar stick out its pink tongue at her.

Laughing to himself, Tommy ignored Wally for the rest of the dinner, and instead focused on learning everything he possibly could about the other first year boys.

* * *

 **September 8th, 1938**

It hadn't taken Tommy long to realize that he loved Hogwarts. Of course, he missed his mum, but he was able to learn so much more here than he was at home, on account of being able to use a wand at all. He quickly learned that he was leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of his classmates, no doubt thanks to his mother, and he made certain to thank her for her tutelage in his weekly letter home.

Some of his other classmates seemed to never had picked up a wand before, though he supposed it might be true if they were muggleborn. But, they didn't have any of those in Slytherin.

He was exceptional at potions, and the portly Professor Slughorn had already taken a shine to him, and Tommy was certain that he might be Slughorn's favorite student. He seemed able to charm all of his professors, with his impeccable manners and good behavior as well as his intelligence in their subjects, though Tommy got the very distinct impression that the auburn-haired Professor Dumbledore - who taught Transfiguration - did not like him.

The other boys in Slytherin seemed to take to him very well. It was sort of interesting to watch the way that they gravitated towards him, looking to him as a sort of model example. It was even more brilliant for him to see Abraxas's absolute horror that he wasn't the most popular boy in school. Even with his blond hair and good looks, Abraxas wasn't as well liked by their peers because of his whiny and entitled attitude.

Edmund Lestrange was rather quiet, but Tommy quickly figured out that he was a bit embarrassed by the slight French accent he still carried. Tommy wondered if his mother was ever embarrassed by her French origins, but then again, she spoke English as well as he did.

Dmitri Dolohov on the other hand was boisterous and loud and didn't give a lick about the thick Russian accent that he had. His father had been educated at Hogwarts as well, but had been raised in St. Petersburg, and wanted his son to get the same education as he had, instead of sending him to Durmstrang. The boy was quick to anger, and vicious to boot, so Tom was quite keen on keeping him as a friend and ally rather than as an enemy. Not that Tommy couldn't handle himself.

Tommy quite liked Evan Rosier as well, though he seemed rather under the shadow of his older sister, third year Druella Rosier. While the siblings shared coppery brown hair, all the boys in Slytherin house seemed to believe that she was the most beautiful girl in school, though Tommy was inclined to believe Dorea was more beautiful than her.

Bernard Avery was a very simple boy, and Tommy frequently wondered if he would be able to pass even the first year curriculum. Still, he was easily the largest boy in their whole year. He was always hanging about, listening in on their conversations, without a hint of stealthiness. Always on the outskirts of the conversation, listening in, breathing heavily through his mouth...Tommy wondered how long it would be until the boy drove him mad.

Still, it was wonderful to have some male friends his own age for once. Most of the time - though Tommy could find them exhausting after awhile - he found their antics amusing and silly, helping to balance out all the school work with a little bit of fun.

* * *

 **December 2nd, 1938**

Holding the wriggling bundle in his arms, Pollux had never looked happier, in Hermione's opinion. She and the young man had never exactly gotten along well, but it was hard not to smile along with him. "What have you decided to name him?" She asked, gently.

Pollux couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face, using the back of one of his fingers to soft on the little boy's cheek. "Cygnus Black the III." He said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Would you like to hold him?"

Hermione nodded eagerly, surprised that her step-son would offer, but she supposed the rest of the Black family might think that she would become pregnant if she was just around babies more. The newborn boy had dark, wildly curly hair, not unlike her own. So this was the boy who would become father to Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa, Hermione thought wistfully. She didn't know much at all about the three girls father, but she mentally made a point to try and make an effort to be nicer to the child. After all...she supposed he was her step-grandson.

In the next room, she could hear Irma softly crying. "Is everything alright with Irma? The birth wasn't difficult, was it?" Hermione inquired gently, before passing off the little baby to her husband. They had waited a day after hearing that the most recent addition to the Black family was born before stopping by, though Alphard had come to stay with them while Irma was in labor.

Pollux rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "Oh, yes. The healer said it was just...baby blues or something like that. He said it will just take a few days for her to get sorted again."

Hermione turned to look at her husband - the two Cygnus's staring at one another - and she could see a kind of sadness in her husband's eyes. He knew that _this_ wasn't his baby. There was no doubt that Pollux was the father, this time. If Hermione had to guess, she would say that Irma was aware of it too. After all, when little Cygnus was conceived, Irma and Pollux had been abroad to celebrate Walburga's last birthday at home before heading off to Hogwarts. Not to mention that she'd ensured her husband's continued infertility, not that either Cygnus or Irma knew that.

She wondered if Irma was really so heartbroken over having someone else's child that she wouldn't even get out of bed to show off her baby. Of course, Hermione knew all about postpartum depression, but in this case, she just didn't think that was what was at play. The worst of it was seeing how _happy_ Pollux was with his son. She was sure that Pollux was absolutely certain that Cygnus was his child too.

And to know that your wife was so upset over giving you a son...how awful that must be for him, Hermione thought. Her Cygnus had so much, really. Couldn't they just give Pollux this one thing? This one simple thing to be happy about?

Unable to stay in the oppressive environment of Grimmauld Place any longer, Hermione placed her hand on Cygnus's arm, pulling him from the melancholy he'd sunk into. "We should let them have some time as a family, Cygnus. Come, let's go home." Hermione whispered. She watched in a morbid curiosity as her husband returned the baby to Pollux's arms before they returned home.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows. I do have a big announcement in this one...I made a bit of an error in the last chapter and implied that Tommy thought there were no muggleborns in Hogwarts - I meant in SLYTHERIN. I have since corrected that, but not to worry, he definitely knows that there are muggleborns in Hogwarts. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. This one ends in a bit of a cliff hanger...

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eighteen and be on the lookout for chapter nineteen soon!

* * *

 **December 11th, 1938**

Tommy loved exploring the castle in his free time. It served many purposes for him. For one, he could learn all of the best hiding places, and Hogwarts was full of good hiding places. Secret alcoves, tapestries, hidden passages. Tommy was certain that it wouldn't taken long for him to find them all. He already knew all of the wonderful things you could overhear when others thought that no one else was around. What was great at Slytherin was learning how to use that information to your advantage.

For instance, if only he'd told his mother about how Cygnus wanted him replaced with another baby on his own terms, rather than just trying to get out of trouble for hurting Alphard. Maybe his mum would have taken him away from Black Manor and they could have gone off to live somewhere that Cygnus wasn't allow to visit and then it would have just been him and his mum and they could have played all that they wanted. Surely, that would have been a preferable outcome.

He also enjoyed exploring the castle because he needed some time away from his friends. Back at Black Manor, he had hours to himself to think and be alone, but there was almost no time alone in the Slytherin dormitories. Sharing a room with five other boys could be exhausting, so every now and then, Tommy just wanted a little time to collect his thoughts.

Finally, it helped knowing all of the best shortcuts in the castle. Tommy was certain that he knew the fastest route to all of his classrooms, and from a variety of areas to the library. He enjoyed spending time in the library as well, but it always made him a bit too easy to find.

" _Something's up ahead._ " Slither hissed in his ear. Of course, Wally wouldn't shut up about him having a snake familiar, but no one else in their dorm believed her that he could speak to snakes. Tommy wasn't about to reveal that bit of information until he needed to. He was certain that Abraxas and Bernard wouldn't think it was hilarious when he finally proved that he was the heir of Slytherin some day down the line.

" _What is it?_ " He hissed back at his familiar, pressing himself against the wall.

" _People_." Slither said, her pink tongue flicking out against his skin. " _Two of them. Hidden in the alcove."_

This could be very interesting, Tommy decided. If two people were hiding in an alcove, it stood to reason that they didn't want to be found. Whatever they were doing, then, was leverage that he could use to get something that he wanted. He edged his way around the corner, trying to keep as silent as possible.

To his absolute horror, Tommy almost gasped when he saw just who it was in the alcove, which would have given away his position. It was just, he was so surprised that Dorea would be doing anything like this when she knew what her father would think of it.

He still couldn't stop from staring though, at the way that Charlus Potter had his stepsister pressed up against the stone wall of the nook. He had one had shoved in her blonde hair, holding her against him while they snogged so desperately, it was as if the last bit of air in the world was in the other's lungs. Tommy almost would have thought that Charlus was forcing himself on her, if it wasn't for the way that Dorea clutched at the back of Potter's white uniform shirt, or the way that she had her hips pressed against his.

He wasn't entirely sure what to think. Of course, between Dorea and Cassiopeia, Dorea was by far his favorite of his step sisters. She'd always been kind and played with him, and she'd been looking out for him since he started at Hogwarts, including the time that she had taken him to the infirmary ward when he had a little cold to get pepperup potion.

But Charlus Potter was a...Gryffindor. Brash and loud. A blood traitor. It was clear to everyone that had eyes that he was very interested in Dorea, but was it possible that Dorea was interested in him too?

Hearing a little moan from his step sister seemed to suggest that yes she was. Tommy walked away slowly, not really wanting to see the sort of things Dorea got up to with Potter. She must like him a great deal if she was willing to let her chastity go to the wind for just a few stolen kisses. Obviously, if anyone caught them, her reputation would be ruined. If Cygnus found out, Tommy was sure that his stepfather might go insane.

Still, he wasn't sure how he could use this to his advantage now… He didn't really fancy hurting Dorea. But that didn't mean he wouldn't file it away for future opportunities.

* * *

 **December 15th, 1938**

It had been many years since Hermione had walked into the doors of St. Mungo's hospital. After all, wizards didn't exactly have the equivalent of a physical during this time period or her own. Disease was not as deadly in the wizarding world, and using magic they were able to repair a great deal of injuries that would be extremely deadly in the muggle world.

However, with another month, another year passed and still no child born from their union, Cygnus had convinced himself that there must be something wrong with Hermione that made it so she couldn't conceive. She wondered if seeing his newborn grandson - Cygnus III - had spurred him into some kind of action.

She supposed it made sense, seeing as Cygnus had fathered healthy babies with both Violetta and Irma, but with Hermione hadn't produced anything, not even such a trial as a miscarriage. Still, Hermione thought it was a bit preposterous that he wouldn't consent to have his own fertility checked, no matter how much she encouraged him to.

Of course, she knew that he was the infertile one in their relationship, but she also counted on St. Mungo's not being able to identify its cause as being a potion. Cygnus was over fifty, after all, and it wasn't uncommon for male fertility to decrease with age, just like a women's did. Hermione had only just turned thirty, and being a witch, she still had many childbearing years ahead of her.

To ease his mind, though, she went to the wizarding hospital anyway, meeting with Ursula's personal doctor. She'd already suffered cold hands and muttered spells to check everything, which to Hermione's relief was much less invasive than a muggle Pap smear. He'd already declared her free of disease - both magical and venereal - but now she waited on the cold metal table for him to run her blood.

When the healer finally returned, he predictably told her that there was nothing wrong with her. She was perfectly fertile, though he did inform her that he had sent some information on fertility potions and rituals off to Cygnus that they might try. She was annoyed that he thought about sharing that kind of information with her husband without consulting her first, but Hermione also knew that was just a product of the time. It didn't make it right, but she knew she would get nowhere arguing with the old man.

By the time she was headed out to the main lobby of the hospital, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, as she was so flustered by the situation. She was walking so deliberately, that she was nearly knocked over when she ran into someone else, and she was certain she would have fallen back on her arse if it wasn't for two strong hands reaching out to steady her. "Oh, I am sorry, I wasn't looking where I was -" She trailed off, seeing the intriguing Mr. Lestrange smiling down at her. "Mr. Lestrange, what a pleasant surprise."

He gave her a smile, the emotion reflected in his dark eyes, before he pressed a kiss against her cheek in the continental style. "I believe I asked you to call me Radalphus, Madame Black." His voice was slightly less accented, though you could still tell he was French.

Blushing, Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear. "Hermione then." It was then that she noticed that Radalphus was accompanied with a girl, maybe nine or ten, and that's when she remembered that he had a daughter, in addition to Edmond, who Tommy wrote about fairly frequently. "This must be your daughter. I hope everything is okay." She said quietly.

The girl was tan like her father, with dark, nearly black, straight hair, and bright green eyes. Radalphus looked down at her fondly, pressing a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, my daughter Mercedes. She had a bought of Fwooper Flu, and now that it has passed, we are just checking that everything is okay. And, I hope that you are okay as well."

"Oh yes, just a checkup." Hermione said. She wouldn't dare to tell him the real reason why she was here, that Hermione's husband couldn't possibly imagine that he was the reason why they hadn't had a baby so far. Hermione sighed, looking up at the handsome man. She was fascinated seeing the way that his lips stretched into a smile, showing off white teeth. He was so gorgeous, so completely different from the kind of pretty handsome that Cygnus was. Radalphus was more masculine, more wild.

She blinked quickly, realizing that she'd been staring at his mouth the whole time. Taking a deep breath, she gave him a smile. "Well, it was lovely to see you again, Radalphus. We must not let it go so long again."

He pressed another kiss to her cheek in agreement, before nodding and agreeing with her. It added a little skip to Hermione's step to know that he hadn't forgotten about her, or the connection that they had shared. It had been so long since she'd seen him, she'd worried that she hadn't made quite the impression she thought she had, and then she'd felt a bit silly, seeing as it wasn't as if they could have a relationship.

* * *

 **December 23rd, 1938**

Hermione felt her body tighten in anticipation when she walked up the long gravel driveway to the looming, dark mansion. She squeezed Tommy's hand a little bit tighter, wondering just why she'd agreed to this? Still, she had promised her son that if his grades were high enough, they could go to Little Hangleton. Of course, Tommy had succeeded, having the highest midterm grades in his class.

She had written to Tom Riddle Sr, who had agreed to meet with them, though she personally didn't have any high hopes for the muggle who'd abandoned his pregnant wife. Stopping before the massive door, Hermione placed her arms on Tommy's shoulders, making him look up to her. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Tommy nodded once. "I do want to."

Hermione smiled, looking at his immaculately polished hair and clean face. "And you know that this doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you more than anything in the world." She'd relished yelling at Cygnus for ever thinking that another baby would replace Tommy in her life, and she would be damned before that happened. The blond had been rather embarrassed to be caught gossiping with Cassiopeia, and was now properly chastised. He'd been _handled._ Tommy brightened at her words, before turning to knock on the door.

A maid answered and lead Hermione and Tommy into a parlor, where they waited for the young master of the house. He made him wait about five minutes before he strode in. Hermione could barely contain her gasp when she saw just how much Tommy looked like his father, both tall and lean, with jet black hair and pale skin, and both exceedingly handsome.

Only, Tom Riddle Sr's face was marred by a vicious sneer. "So, this is the little spawn of that batty whore." He said, letting his eyes look over Tommy. "At least you got my looks. Your mother was _homely_ to put it lightly."

Hermione could feel her son's body tightening in tension, and a teacup on the mantle began rattling. She was surprised because Tommy had always had a very good grasp on his magic, and he rarely had destructive accidental magic. But it only made Tom Riddle sneer harder. "Oh, I see, are you a freak like her too?"

It was odd to see her normally confident son looking so unsure of himself, and she just hoped that her assurances that she loved him would be enough to keep his fragile self-esteem from cracking. Even though he had no relationship with him, Hermione knew that his father's opinion of him would be important to her son. Finally he squared his shoulders, chest proud, and looked at the man who'd sired him. "I get good marks at school. The best actually, in my year."

She could feel her heart breaking that he felt he needed to justify himself somehow, and she wrapped gave his hand a little squeeze, before staring at the muggle man with a frown. Sure, he had been bewitched by Merope, but it was disheartening that he didn't feel anything for his son.

Tom Riddle Sr's countenance did not improve at hearing what a prodigy his child was. "Why would I care that you are learning little magic tricks, so that you can trick some poor girl...hoodwinking her into marrying you, just as I was?" His laugh was like broken glass and set Hermione on edge. "God, don't you understand that it doesn't make you special, it makes you odd."

Tommy's little jaw set then, jutting out, and Hermione could tell that his mind was made up. She was unsure how he would have gone into this situation, what hopes or dreams he might have had for meeting his father, but she could tell that Tommy was decidedly not impressed. "Why didn't you ever look for me? You've known about me for twelve years and you never once looked for me. If it wasn't for mother, I would be rotting away in an orphanage."

That took Hermione by surprise, seeing as they never really talked about the orphanage much, or what would have happened to him if she hadn't come along. It was touching in a way that he realized how much she did for him, because she cared for him so much. It was also disturbing to know that he'd carried these feelings, this resentment for his muggle father's abandonment for so long without a hint that anything was amiss.

"Simple - I didn't want you." Tom Riddle said, steepling his long fingers together.

"Then why did you meet me now?" Tommy argued back. Hermione bit her lip, to scold him for talking back to his elders, when really, she couldn't blame him. This was an argument that she needed to let Tommy have.

"Because I had to see what kind of curiosity Merope whelped." Tom said, laughing again derisively, and Hermione was reminded of some of the meaner boys from her primary school, who teased and laughed at her because she was different and they were popular. Tom Riddle was just a mean boy who'd grown up into a detestable man.

They didn't stick around any longer to be insulted, and Hermione led Tommy out of the mansion, closing the door behind them. When they walked down the long winding path, gravel crunching beneath their feet, Hermione chanced a glance at her son. She could see the glassy tears in his eyes and she felt her heart lurch, wanting to make everything right.

Sensing her eyes on him, Tommy turned to look at her, his face determined. He spoke forcefully, convincing Hermione of the veracity of his words. "I never want to speak of that filthy muggle again."

* * *

 **December 31st, 1938**

For his twelfth birthday, Tommy was really rather annoyed that he was meant to spend the evening with Pollux's family again. He already spent far too much time with Walburga at school and he'd come to imagine ripping her curly blonde hair from her head. Alphard was okay, but he was still too young to be much fun. And, to make matters worse, he didn't fancy listening to baby Cyg cry all night. That's all he was good for at this time of his life, seeing as he was barely a month old.

His mummy was going with Cygnus to a ministry function and bringing Cassiopeia and Dorea with them, seeing as Cassiopeia was quickly entering old maid territory. He frequently saw her staring at his mummy with disdain, though he was sure it was because of how beautiful his mum was. He rather liked seeing her get all dressed up so that the rest of the world knew just how special she was, and that he belonged to her. He was very proud of his mummy.

Cassiopeia always tried to bring up the fact that his mummy still hadn't had a child with Cygnus, but it never seemed to irritate his mummy that much. She didn't seem too eager to have another baby, especially after he'd revealed to her that he'd overheard Cygnus planning to send him off once she had Cygnus's child.

Merlin, he still relished the sound of his mummy's voice through the heavy door of Cygnus's study, yelling at him about his little plan to get rid of Tommy. He only wished that he'd been able to see Cygnus's face during the argument. Tommy was sure that he'd cowered in fear from his mother's wrath, and he knew that she'd hexed him, but he wasn't sure what it was exactly because it had been wordless magic. That only made him prouder of his mummy, that she was so powerful. It had been even better to hear Cygnus beg and plead with his mummy to forgive his words.

At least he'd gotten the message, and Cygnus hadn't tried to get his mummy to replace him again, though he was certain that he still wanted a baby with her. Tommy felt better knowing that he wasn't going to go anywhere.

It was good to know that he was able to get what he wanted with just a few innocent words here or there and he could trick people into doing what he wanted without them realizing. He wondered if there was a way for him to trick his family into staying in for his birthday, so that he wouldn't have to spend it with Wally. But then, he remembered something that was sure to send his stepfather into a tizzy.

While his sisters and mother were still getting ready upstairs, Hermione helping Dorea to wear a suspiciously Gryffindor red colored dress, Tommy made his way to Cygnus's study, determined to get what he wanted. He started by complaining to the man, who barely looked up from his papers. "I don't understand why Dorea can't stay home, when we already know she is getting married to Charlus."

"Charlus?" Cygnus asked, taking a gulp of his firewhiskey. "What are you on about Tommy?"

"Yes, Charlus Potter." Tommy said, flicking some spinning artifact on Cygnus's desk in apparent boredom. "I mean...I saw them kissing one another. Doesn't that mean they are getting married?" He asked innocently, chancing a look up from beneath long lashes, to see his stepfather's face turning an odd pink color.

"Dorea kissing Charlus Potter?" He asked quietly. "Just where did you see this Tommy?"

"In an alcove at Hogwarts." Tommy shrugged his shoulders. "I was walking back from the library because I wanted to study for my midterms." It didn't matter what excuse he had because as soon as he saw Cygnus's face turn bright red, he knew he'd gotten his way.

"DOREA!" Cygnus shouted so loudly that Tommy thought that the whole manor house had shook. He didn't even bother hiding the smirk he wore on his face.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! If you are looking for something else to read, I just completed my Fenrimione called Done Without You you can also follow me on tumblr where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and post story updates**

 **Please let me know what you thought of chapter nineteen and be on the lookout for chapter twenty soon!**

* * *

 **January 1st, 1939**

Hermione had been concerned and disturbed when Cygnus had come stomping up the stairs, screaming for Dorea whilst they were getting ready. Seeing his beautiful daughter in her gorgeous red robes only seemed to send him off further, making Hermione sputter and throw up a protective charm, in case he meant to harm Dorea.

"How dare you let that bloody Gryffindor swine touch you!" He'd screamed, face red and veins throbbing in anger. "I thought that I raised you better than this."

It didn't take long for Hermione to figure out that this was going to be a delicate matter, one that she would absolutely need to help navigate. She'd gotten a promise from a _very_ distraught Cassiopeia to look over Tom, while she, Cygnus and Dorea retreated to Cygnus's study. Hermione put up all kinds of silencing charms, not wanting to disturb the other occupants of the manor while they had their little discussion.

Dorea had begun crying immediately, apologizing for disappointing her father, but she didn't understand why he was so upset. Cygnus revealed to them then that Tommy had caught her and Charlus Potter in an amorous embrace at Hogwarts. "You couldn't even contain yourself that you were caught by a _child_. Have you no shame?"

The blonde girl began crying more in earnest then, promising that she hadn't compromised her purity. "Please daddy, don't send me away!" She'd begged, her hands in her lap. Hermione hated that Dorea had this fear that her father would send her away, the specter of the way that Cygnus had treated Marius rearing its head once again.

"You've been _defiled_ by a filthy blood traitor. How on earth do expect me to find a match for you when you've been acting in such a deplorable way?" Cygnus said, his knuckles white around the glass of firewhiskey that he desperately clutched.

"But daddy, I love Charlus!" Dorea cried more. "I always have."

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently. "I never should have allowed you to play with him when you were younger. As soon as Henry started messing around with all those muggles' rights laws in the Wizengamot, I should have put an end to it! And now look at what I get for it." Cygnus wiped a hand over his face, and Hermione thought he'd never looked as old as he did now.

It was at this time that Hermione finally stepped into the argument. "All is not lost, Cygnus." She said, pressing hands to his shoulders, encouraging him to sit down in the chair. "I think that the solution is quite simple if you will just take a moment to cool down."

Her soothing words seemed soothing, but it did little to calm Dorea's quiet sobs. Oh, poor, sweet Dorea, Hermione thought. She was such a lovely, kind girl, and she really deserved more than this treatment from her own father, who was so wrapped up in blood purity that he couldn't even think about how his words were hurting his own daughter.

Finally, he looked up at her, confusion in his grey eyes, as though he'd gone through all possible scenarios in his head and came up empty handed. "What?"

"Let Dorea marry Charlus." Hermione said simply, her brown eyes trying to get him to understand her meaning. "It's clear that she loves him. Why don't you let your daughter make her own choices for once and have a chance at a happy marriage. A love match. It isn't often that one of those happens between pureblood children." The words felt like ash in her mouth, but she knew that she needed to tread carefully with Cygnus.

He looked annoyed. "The Potters aren't even in the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They aren't _good enough_ for the Black family."

"Dorea has decided that Charlus is good enough for her." Hermione said gently. "He is still a pureblood, well connected, in the Wizengamot. The Potters have more than enough money to provide her a good life - an extravagant one at that. But most importantly...Dorea _loves_ him."

Her husband looked at his daughter a bit helplessly, seeing her dressed up so beautifully, her hair and makeup magicked so that it was still as beautiful as when it was put on despite her tears. Hermione was positive that seeing the hopeful look reflected in Dorea's eyes was what broke the camels back.

Henry Potter was called through the floo and he'd come clambering through with his son Charlus, who Hermione remembered seeing from the summer. She wasn't sure if it was a bit foolish for the young man to rush to Dorea's side seeing her so upset when Cygnus's nerves were already so frayed from learning that his little girl wasn't quite so little any more.

Hermione quietly explained to the confused Henry what had happened while Cygnus barely kept hold of his cool. Henry had briefly scolded his son for damaging the reputation of a good pureblood lady, though when Charlus gave just as impassioned a speech as Dorea had, that he loved her and he didn't care what anyone thought, the Potter patriarch had crumbled and thus began the negotiations. Really, Hermione was quite happy to see how excited the young couple looked, learning that they were to be able to be together, with a wedding to take place the following winter. It was an appropriate bit of time, Hermione thought, giving them time to plan, and keeping anyone from suggesting that Dorea had been "in trouble."

Charlus had gone off to his family vaults to procure a ruby ring for his lady to signify his intentions, while Cygnus and Henry talked through the dowry. Hermione fielded an emotional Dorea, still weepy and thankful that her stepmother had helped her to be with the man that she loved.

By the time dawn had broken, Dorea and Charlus were betrothed, beaming and happy.

* * *

 **March 20th, 1939**

"How do you even know so much about the werewolf uprisings of 1763?" Edmond asked Tommy, staring in surprise at the length of parchment that his classmate was using to write his assigned essay for History of Magic. "You aren't even using references."

The boys were lounging in the Slytherin common room after dinner, Abraxas and Bernard relaxing in the dark leather couches, while Tommy sat at one of the long tables by the fireplace. It hadn't taken very long for Hogwarts to feel like home, Slytherin house being the heart of it. He looked up at Edmond, seated across from him. "My mummy taught me about it before school. She always said that it was never too early to learn about history...I swear that she knows everything. I'll reference it later in the library."

"Yes, Tommy here sure is a _mummy's_ boy." Abraxas said snickering. "Wally has some interesting stories about your _mummy_."

"Wally should mind her own business if she doesn't want to get hurt." Tommy said icily, his cheeks hot from being caught calling his mum mummy. It hadn't taken him long to realize that the other boys his age didn't refer to their mum's that way...they were too old for it. Tommy wished he had something awful to say about Abraxas's mother, but he knew virtually nothing about her, except that Cygnus suggested that she wasn't as good as his own mother was.

Before he could think on it much more, Edmond got his attention. "Want to go to the library now, Tommy? I think I will get more work done there." Edmond was a good friend, Tommy decided, sensing that Tommy was uncomfortable and upset with the little blond boy's words.

Deciding that someday, he would make Abraxas Malfoy pay for all of the horrid things he said about his mother, Tommy nodding, gathering up his things, before leaving the common room. "Does your mother really know everything about magical history?" Edmond asked quietly.

Tommy pursed his lips together. "I dare say one can't know _everything_ , but she is brilliant. She's the smartest witch I know. And powerful, too. I watched her duel once, and she made a grown man cry." He proclaimed proudly.

Edmond's eyes went a bit wide at that pronouncement. "Wicked!" He said finally. "Is that from when she was in the paper? My father showed me that, it was right after we moved here. We were upset to learn that Grindelwald was beginning to come here too."

Tommy nodded, remembering the little newspaper clipping that he kept of his trunk. "Yes. I watched her take down several of Grindelwald's supporters. My mum is familiar with his kind from when she grew up in France." Tommy was just now beginning to wonder what his mum's life before moving to England had been like, but she was notoriously closed lipped about it.

"Well, I think that your mum sounds awesome." Edmond said. Tommy wondered if the boy was jealous of him for having a mum, when his own was dead. Then again, Tommy didn't really have a dad like Edmond did, unless you counted Cygnus, which Tommy didn't.

Just as they were making their way up the last set of stairs before the library, they were stopped by a professor, his long auburn hair tied back from his face. "Ah, Mr. Riddle, Mr. Lestrange, what are you doing out of your common room? It is close to curfew."

Tommy resisted the urge to sneer. Professor Dumbledore was _always_ looking for an excuse to get him in a trouble. Instead, he plastered a false smile on his face. "We were just headed to the library, Professor. We wanted to get a book for our History of Magic essay. But, if I understood correctly, Professor, curfew wasn't for another hour?" He questioned innocently.

Professor Dumbledore just adjusted his half-moon glasses. "Right you are my boy. I suppose that is enough time to visit the library. Just make sure you make it back in time."

Tom nodded stiffly, before walking away, sensing those unnerving blue eyes following them up the staircase. Edmond shook his head beside him. "Ugh...why do you think that Professor Dumbledore doesn't like us?"

"I think he's just biased against Slytherins, Edmond. I wouldn't take it personally." Tom replied tersely. For some reason, he got the sense that Dumbledore's dislike of _him_ was very personal.

* * *

 **June 1st, 1939**

Cygnus sat in the library surrounded by friends, family and acquaintances, as there had been too many for them to sit comfortably in his study. A marathon session at the Wizengamot had spilled over into the evening, but in the end, they had been victorious, so they had retreated to Black Manor for drinks.

It had been nice at first, to sit and talk with his compatriots for a while. Sirius and his son Arcturus sat with Pollux and his brother-in-law Herbert to discuss plans for his mother's birthday party that year. Brutus was bragging about something or other to Avery and Crabbe, his former father-in-law. Rosier and Lestrange were quietly talking heads together.

Cygnus himself was having his ear talked off by Gareth Greengrass about how his wife wanted to make Hermione godmother to their next child, due in January. Rowle, Greengrass's brother-in-law seemed to sputter that his wife shouldn't be asked instead, seeing as she was the child's aunt. Cygnus was simultaneously honored that his wife should be asked, knowing about her special connection with Gareth's wife, and annoyed that Rowle thought his harpy wife was somehow a _better_ option than his Hermione. He was also couldn't kill the annoyance that he and Hermione hadn't been blessed with their own child yet.

"So, Cygnus." Rosier called across the room, getting his attention. Cygnus thanked Merlin for a moment that he was pulled away from what had truly evolved into an annoying conversation. "My Evan says your boy Tom is top of their class. Seems to think that he is a wizard who is going places."

Cygnus could barely stop himself from groaning, cringing when Greengrass slapped him on the shoulder in congratulations. Tommy had only been home for less than a day, and already Hermione had been annoyingly preoccupied with the boy. Even now, they had gone off to Diagon Alley for some kind of celebratory dinner for his marks.

The boy's marks _were_ good, actually, to a point that it irked Cygnus. None of his own children had ever gotten marks like that while they were in school. Pollux had done well, even making prefect, but Cassiopeia had barely passed. Dorea was doing much better, but she wasn't particularly gifted. It was painful to remember that all of these compliments had absolutely _nothing_ to do with him. He wasn't responsible for anything that the boy became, and it was only a matter of time before the others realized that as well. It annoyed him most of all because the glory wasn't his.

Before he could respond, though, the fireplace flared up, and Hermione and Tommy came waltzing out, giggling together and holding hands. Hermione looked surprised to see all of these people in the library, as she obviously wasn't prepared for company. "Oh!" She called out before she could stop herself.

"Ah, Madame Black! We were just toasting your son's top marks." Brutus said, perhaps a bit derisively. Cygnus knew that was at least partly because Abraxas hadn't done nearly as well, barely scraping a spot in the top ten percent.

"Were you?" Hermione asked, and Cygnus could read the suspicion on her face. "Tommy, say thank you and then run up to your room." She said tersely.

Tommy for his part put on a charming smile and gave a little bow, thanking all the important men in the room for their congratulations, before gliding out of the library as if he owned the place. Cygnus watched him go, and saw Hermione move as if she was going to leave as well. "Hermione. Fresh drinks for our guests, please." From the flare of her nostrils, he knew that his wife didn't like being bossed around, but he also knew that she wouldn't chance an argument in front of his friends, though he could be certain to get the cold shoulder tonight, and possibly the night after as well.

Hermione dutifully moved over to the bar cart at the side of the room and wordlessly levitated all empty glasses. After cleaning them with a modified scourgify, so that she didn't scratch the crystal, she reached for the large decanter filled with expensive firewhiskey.

Just as she was about to begin pouring, she felt a presence come up behind her, the slight brush of a hard body against her side. She looked up in surprise, only to see the smiling eyes of Radalphus Lestrange. "Allow me to help you with that." He whispered, his hand brushing against hers in a way that was _decidedly_ sensual, making a shiver race up her spine.

Hermione couldn't deny that Radalphus had been an insistent fixture in her brain ever since she'd met him. As soon as they'd danced at the party all those months ago, she was mesmerized by the magnetic connection she seemed to feel with him. He was so smooth, smart and funny, and he seemed to understand her better than anyone else in this time period. He was intriguing, but Hermione couldn't tell what he wanted from her. She wasn't sure if he was just one of those men who were naturally flirty, not unlike her husband.

She'd frequently wondered if he ever thought of her, or whether he hoped that more could happen between them. In her heart, she knew that it was a foolish endeavor, seeing as she was married to Cygnus, but it didn't mean that she couldn't dream about how things could be…

Judging from the interactions they'd had together so far, she'd figured that he didn't really feel much one way or the other for her. Except for now, she was rethinking things. He'd gone out of his way to create as much body contact as possible, his fingertips gliding along her pale skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake, giving her secret smiles whenever she looked up at him, while he poured firewhiskey in the empty glasses. Perhaps he _did_ want more with her.

Once the firewhiskey was poured, Radalphus selected a tumbler and brought it to his lips, taking a drink. Hermione found herself transfixed by the sight of his lips on the edge of the glass. He gave her one last smile, before returning to his seat. Starting suddenly, Hermione realized that she'd been staring at him with her lips parted, and she looked around quickly, glad that no one seemed to notice.

The nerve of the man, touching her like _that_ in front of her husband! Making her feel things that she hadn't felt in years…

Keeping her head down, Hermione distributed the glasses of firewhiskey around the room to the rest of the men, who were all fairly into their cups. Still, she could sense Radalphus's eyes following her around the room, even when she pressed her lips against Cygnus's cheek in a goodnight kiss, feeling her heart beat a little bit faster at recognizing the promise in Radalphus's brown eyes.

* * *

 **August 10th, 1939**

Hermione sat in the library pouring over books and catalogs filled with every _single_ bit of information about magical bonding ceremonies and wedding decor. Ever since she'd been home from school, Dorea had been a bit wedding crazed, seeing as she was so over the moon to be getting married to her sweetheart, Charlus Potter. They had planned to have the bonding ceremony performed at Potter Manor, to Cygnus's chagrin, but he was willing to do anything his daughter wanted.

Cassiopeia had been less than pleased to learn about the nuptials, locking herself into her room for the remainder of Dorea's winter break when she heard the news. First Dorea had ruined her New Year's Eve, and then she had the audacity to get married to a perfectly respectable pureblood!

Since Dorea had returned home from school, Cassiopeia had moved out to live with her cousin in France, though Hermione wasn't sure how long that would last. After all, it really only hurt Cygnus and he had done everything he could to find her a husband that everyone could approve of.

So, because the dark haired woman had been out of the house for so long, Hermione was very shocked to see her come out of the floo in the library. Cassiopeia looked confused for a moment, before she saw fabric swatches and different bouquets of flowers and she sneered, sending a blasting spell at one of the vases.

Hermione barely had time to think before she shielded herself and her stepdaughter from the shards of broken glass, and had disarmed Cassiopeia before she could do any more damage. "Cassiopeia! What is wrong?" She shouted, surprised that the girl was acting out quite so violently. Cassiopeia looked at her in confusion, before Hermione noticed that she was swaying on her feet. "You're drunk." Hermione said aloud, surprised.

"So what if I am?" Cassiopeia slurred. She had a mean look on her face and it was leveled at Hermione, surrounded by all the trappings of a wedding. "It's all your fault anyway, you stupid bitch!"

Hermione was taken back to a time when she first met Cassiopeia, when she'd been a mean little thirteen year old girl, who enjoyed laughing at others. Hermione had really thought that she'd blossomed over the years, and that they were beginning to get along. "What's my fault, Cassiopeia?" She asked calmly, hoping to diffuse the situation.

"That I'm not married! You told me...you told me I was going to end up an old spinster, and here I am!" A choked sob bubbled up out of the raven haired girl's chest. "Lucretia's got that idiot, Prewett. Callidora even married that bumbling fool Longbottom. Caris was married to Casper last year and now Dorea gets her happily ever after too. What about me? Don't I deserve a husband too?"

The brunette _did_ feel a bit badly for the words she'd said so many years ago, especially seeing how much they'd festered. She just wished that Cassiopeia would see that it was her own doing, and that of her family, that had prevented her a husband. Maybe, if she just found someone she _loved_ not someone who fit the pureblood credentials, she could find happiness. "All is not lost, Cassiopeia. You might still-"

"Save it, you bitch." Cassiopeia said, venomously. "I know that you fucking cursed me." The girl stumbled out of the library and Hermione called for Opal to help the girl to her room. She knew that if she tried to help, it would do more harm than good.

Inside, she wondered if maybe she _had_ cursed the girl. Were her words some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy?


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Morning Lovelies! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know you all are looking for some more Radalphus interaction so I think you will enjoy this one. I started a new story Calle do Bits and Pieces, that holds drabbles and stuff that goes with other stories but doesn't fit into the overall story. For this story's 1000th reviewer, I will write a little drabble for this universe! I know it probably won't happen this chapter, but start thinking of what you might like to see :)**

 **Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty and be on the lookout for twenty-one soon!**

* * *

 **July 26th, 1939**

Tommy had been incredibly excited to receive post from his new friend at Hogwarts, Edmond Lestrange, inviting him to come over to his house for the day. It was nice to have actually friends, instead of just being forced to interact with Abraxas, and to be honest with himself, he did miss Edmond. Although he loved being home with his mother, she wasn't quite the same as another boy your own age.

Sliding the piece of paper across the breakfast table, he gave the scrap of parchment to his mummy - his mum. "Mother, may I go to Edmond's for the day, please?" He asked politely, actually garnering Cygnus's attention for once from behind his Daily Prophet.

Hermione read over the piece of paper, and was pleased to see the invitation had come from the Lestrange household, and she was barely able to hide her smile. "Of course you can, my love." Hermione said, indulgently. "I will bring you by after you've gotten ready for the day."

"Perhaps I should drop him off." Cygnus said suddenly, which was unusual. He almost never _volunteered_ to do anything with Tommy, if he could help it.

The brunette just wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Nonsense, Cygnus. You need to get going to the Wizengamot today. I will take him. Of course, Mr. Lestrange is so friendly, I am sure he will want to chat for a few moments, and you won't have time for that." She said sweetly, taking secret pleasure in seeing the way that her husband's face darkened.

Cygnus didn't protest, though, so once he left shortly after breakfast, and Hermione sent Tommy to start getting ready, she also went to freshen up. It felt a bit silly to make such an effort for Radalphus, especially when she thought about the fact that she didn't even really know him that well. Still, she put on a nice, simple dress in blue and made sure her long brown hair was artfully arranged around her shoulders.

By the time that she met Tommy by the Floo so that they could head over, she had a swarm of butterflies that had taken up nest in her stomach, making her nervous for what was about to come next. When they walked through the green flames, Edmond and his father were waiting for them on the other side.

"Hermione, lovely to see you again." Radalphus said, stepping forward and pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks in greeting. He pulled away then and got a good look at Tom. "And you must be young Mr. Riddle. I've heard a lot about you." He said, ruffling the hair on his son's head. "Edmond, introduce yourself to Madame Black."

"Good morning, Madame Black." Edmond said, stepping forward before bowing at the waist. He looked similar to his sister, Mercedes, who Hermione had met earlier that year, though he was definitely taller, and his hair was wavy like his father's. "Tommy's told me loads about you, too. He says you know everything. Well, almost everything."

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at her son, whose cheeks were a bit pink. She didn't mind in the slightest, though. She knew most boy's Tommy's age were embarrassed by their parents, so to know that he was proud of her was very touching. Before she could say anything, Radalphus was ushering the boys off to play, and Edmond was eagerly leading Tommy in the direction of his room to show him his new telescope.

Radalphus and Hermione stood staring at one another for a few moments, before Hermione began nibbling on her lower lip. "I should get going...I'm sure you're very busy today."

He smiled broadly at her words. "On the contrary, I have found my schedule is wide open today. Would you like to have a tour of the grounds before you leave? The gardens are lovely this time of year." His brown eyes hinted at mischief, and even some playfulness. He could sense the chemistry that they had as well, and he wasn't above fanning the flames.

Still, Hermione found herself agreeing, placing her hand in his offered arm while he lead her outside to the gardens. The Lestrange home was much smaller than she would have expected, but it still was a grand country home. They were close to the sea, Hermione could tell, and the long walk outside was lined with apple trees in blossom.

"I'll admit that I don't know much of your family, Radalphus." Hermione said quietly, feeling the heat of his arm under her palm, the firm musculature hard under her touch. "I understand that...the Lestrange family is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and yet, you are from France?"

"Ah, yes, Albert Lestrange...a great uncle who moved here to England nearly a century ago." He said, smoothly. "I am afraid I am from much humbler beginnings. I come from a fishing village called Sète not far from your Marseille. My father was a fisherman and I assisted him, on his boat for many years on the Mediterranean."

Hermione felt her eyebrows raise in surprise at hearing that, finding this detail very surprising. "My, that certainly is humble." She said politely, unsure of how to respond. It did make a bit of sense though, with his sun kissed skin and calloused hands. Cygnus's own were soft, and it was clear that he hadn't done any manual labor in his life.

"Yes, it was simple living...we didn't have much money like great-Uncle Albert, but we did alright for ourselves and we never went hungry." Radalphus said, carding his fingers through dark, wavy hair, and for a brief moment, Hermione wondered what it would be like to run her own fingers through his hair. "And what was your childhood like, Hermione? I must have just missed you at Beauxbatons."

She wondered if he could feel her stiffen at his words. "It was...I suppose simple, for the standards of the world we live in now. My father always tried very hard to differentiate himself from my grandfather's...crimes. My parents tried to tell me that muggles were people, just like us, only they didn't have the advantage of magic. Those views aren't really appreciated here."

"The focus on being pureblooded, is I suppose, quite suffocating here. My family's own pureblood status is likely only due to our village not having many other witches...proximity's sake only." Radalphus revealed to her, which was surprising to hear. "Though, I know Albert has bought into it quite heavily. "

"Yes, my husband seems to think that your uncle is a very good ally to have in the Wizengamot." Hermione murmured, thinking of what bits and facts she had gleaned from conversations with Cygnus.

"And how did you come to be Madame Black?" Radalphus asked, guiding them over to a bench, nestled amongst some brilliant yellow roses. Hermione was reminded of another time, when she'd been in a rose garden with a Bulgarian Quidditch prodigy, and the way he'd pressed nervous lips to hers, sweaty hands holding her's tightly.

Hermione looked Radalphus's face over. There was no doubt that he was handsome, despite the slight scruffiness on his cheeks. In some ways, he looked exactly like she might imagine a Mediterranean sailor, on the cover of some romance novel, might look. Forcing her gaze into her lap, she considered how much of the truth she wanted to reveal. "I had been raising Tommy on my own for two years when I met Cygnus. He needed help raising his own children, after being widowed, and it seemed like a smart match."

"A smart match?" Radalphus asked, a slight chuckle under his breath. "Everyone seems to think that you and Cygnus are a love match."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes, I am sure the Black family would prefer that it was spun that way. Makes it seem a bit more acceptable I guess...a lot of people don't take kindly to an unmarried woman raising a child on her own."

He nodded in understanding. "Honestly, I am a bit relieved."

"Relieved?"

"Yes, because if you and Cygnus were considered a love match, I would have been terribly sorry for you." Radalphus said, pushing some of her hair behind her back, exposing her neck to his eyes. "It is evident that there is no _passion_ felt between you."

Hermione couldn't stop her gasp at his words, looking up at him surprised. It was odd to have someone _else_ put into words what she'd been feeling for so many years. When she looked at his face, he was staring at her lips. Her heart was pounding, and her blood rushing through her ears, as she watched him _lean forward_...

At the last moment, Hermione turned her head away, and she felt his lips contact her cheek instead. Merlin, she had wanted to kiss Radalphus, but at the same time...she couldn't deny that she was married to Cygnus. She couldn't jeopardize the life she'd built for Tommy for a bit of pleasure on her end. She'd had to make sacrifices for her son and...this might have to be one of them.

She felt him inhale sharply at finding her cheek, not soft lips, and he pulled away immediately. "Apologies." He said quietly, though, from the glint in his eyes she had a feeling that Radalphus Lestrange wasn't done with her yet.

Suddenly, she felt the strange need to apologize for turning away. It wasn't that she didn't _want_ him, just that she couldn't _have_ him. "I-i I'm sorry, Radalphus-"

She was about to speak more, but instead he pressed a finger to her full lower lip, breath hitched at the feel of it. "I understand, Hermione." Looking into his mischievous eyes, she thought that he didn't look quite sorry. "You are so beautiful, and charming, and intelligent...I find myself quite captivated with you. But it was not my place." Her heart surged with desire, and she almost wanted him to try _again_. So she was a little disappointed when he offered her his arm instead. "We should head back...it is getting quite late. Let's go see what the boys are up to."

She took his offered arm a second time, letting him lead her back up to the house. It was true that it was getting quite late. She'd meant to stay only for a short while, but most of the day had passed while they meandered the gardens, talking with one another.

* * *

 **August 12th, 1939**

Cygnus stewed in his study, after Irma had left him there, once they'd completed their regular tryst. He knew that Irma was getting annoyed at always being taken against his desk. After all, they'd been together for over a decade now, didn't she deserve a feather bed? He thought briefly about opening one of the other Black family properties so that they could get away together, but thought better of it.

In recognizing that he'd been with Irma for so long, he also realized that he'd been married to Hermione for ten years as well. They'd been trying for a child for more than five years, and still, he had nothing to show for it, except mounting family pressure. Perhaps Hermione was right..he was fifty now, and perhaps his age made it less likely that he would have a child. After all, Irma hadn't given him another child either, though she had given Pollux a son.

 _Salazar_ , sometimes he hated the resentment he felt towards his son for putting a child inside of Irma, especially when he knew that he had no right to her, seeing as she was the wife _he_ gave to Pollux. But damn it if she wasn't _his_ first. And then for his son to name the child after him…he didn't know if it was meant to honor him, or a purposeful way to rub his nose in it. Cygnus felt like a terrible father, for repeating the same mistake his own father had.

Taking a large gulp of firewhiskey from his glass, he savored the burn as the liquid moved down his throat. To his displeasure, it didn't cut through the guilt. He'd told Hermione that he wasn't going to carry on with Irma anymore, but he hadn't even kept that promise for a week. Maybe it was his punishment to never have a child again, having broken a promise to such a witch.

Of course, Hermione could be a bit headstrong and a bit unusual, he couldn't deny that she had been devoted, not only to Tom Riddle, but to his own children as well. He knew that she would make a wonderful mother, and he was certain that all the gossip about her being barren would hurt her, though she would never admit it to him.

What hurt worse was knowing that she was _not_ the cause of their childlessness. He'd read the healer's report that was sent to him, detailing her perfect fertility. Sometimes it seemed like his wife was perfect at everything she attempted, so he knew that her failure in this one aspect of their life must hurt her just as much as it did him. He wondered if she ever would grow to resent him now that she knew the failure fell completely on his shoulders.

Some nights it felt like whiskey was the only thing to get him through the crushing knowledge that his family was falling apart. Dorea, though he could deny her nothing, was going to be a Potter in just a few months; he knew that it made her incredibly happy, but, he still couldn't reconcile with the fact that Charlus Potter was to become his son-in-law. Cassiopeia was barely speaking to him since she'd gone to live in France, and he knew that it was because he had been unable to secure her an advantageous match. Not to mention that Tom Riddle had been the top student at Hogwarts. It felt wrong to begrudge the boy his success, but he couldn't help but hate the fact that it wasn't a _real_ Black family member at the top.

Staring into the flames of his fireplace, he drank more and more, until all the unpleasant feelings that had rushed up inside him were soothed away into nothingness. He would face it all again tomorrow, but tonight, he could have some reprieve.

* * *

 **August 23rd, 1939**

Hermione sat with Flavia at a quiet restaurant in the fashionable part of Diagon Alley, looking out into the gardens, while Rosalie tried to eat some food from her seat. She had her hand pressed against the other woman's belly, feeling the tiny little kicks of her future godchild against her palm. Hermione had been so honored to be asked to be godmother, and even more surprised to learn that Gareth had insisted she be chosen. "Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl yet?" She asked cautiously.

Most pureblood families were far too traditional to try the charm to determine the sex of their babies, but it was gaining traction. "I think it's going to be a girl." Flavia said, with fair confidence. "It feels just like when I had Rosalie." She said, pushing some of her three year old daughter's hair back from her face. The girl smiled back at the two women, happily munching on a carrot stick.

"How wonderful." Hermione said with a sigh. When she first arrived in the past, she had promised that she would put her life aside if it meant giving the wizarding world a better future, giving Tommy a life where he didn't turn out rotten. But, as the years had wore on, she couldn't deny that she was longing for a bit of love and passion, and well...maybe her own biological clock was ticking as well. She meant what she said to Tommy, that no child could ever replace him in her heart, but now she was beginning to think about what having a child might be like. Not that she would ever change her mind about having a child with Cygnus, but…

"I was thinking, if it's a girl, I might like to name her Mina." Flavia said suddenly. "I would love to name her Hermione, but I know you'd refuse to let me. But Mina is close enough...Mione and Mina."

Hermione felt her heart clench at the sentiment, and the reminder of the nickname that Ron used to call her when they were growing up...when Ron was still alive. She blinked back tears, but she was afraid that Flavia completely misinterpreted the reaction and apologized that they didn't need to discuss babies if it made her uncomfortable. "No, Flavia it's fine. I actually...well, I went to St. Mungo's and it turns out that I am completely fertile."

Flavia could barely contain her gasp at Hermione's confession that she'd sought help at the hospital because it was basically a forbidden topic when it came to pureblood circles. "Oh, Hermione, does this mean…" She trailed off, looking around to make sure that no one else was listening in. "That Cygnus might be the issue in the equation."

The brunette tried to put on a solemn face, before nodding furiously. "He refuses to go, though, since he's had children in the past." She whispered to her friend, enjoying stirring up a little bit of trouble for her husband. She was sick of being the scapegoat.

"Maybe...well, Gareth and I have tried some... fertility rituals." Flavia said, her cheeks burning brightly. "Perhaps I should have him talk to Cygnus. Give him some pointers. After all, he is a bit older now, isn't he?"

Hermione shook her head furiously. "Oh, no, please don't Flavia. I appreciate the offer, but...if Cygnus knew that I was telling you this, he would be so angry with me. He's...it's a point of pride for him." Her own cheeks were blushing at this point. "And the healer sent us information on fertility rituals. We tried at the spring equinox, but no luck. We are going to try again for the autumnal as well. Perhaps we will be gifted then."

Hermione _hoped_ that no magic ritual would affect the effects of her potion, so she was holding her breath that everything would keep going according to _her_ plan. Still, it was nice to have Flavia to talk to about her disappointment and to unload a bit about the Black family.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Hello babes! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I hear you loud and clear about the Radalphus scenes - your wish is my command! More Radalphus in this chapter :) I hope you continue to enjoy him! Just a reminder that I will be offering the 1000th reviewer a drabble in this Red Right Hand universe - I think we should probably get to 1000 reviews on this chapter - which will go into Bits and Pieces. I've just added an additional chapter for SereniteRose, who is amazing and reviews so faithfully! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post story updates, sneak peeks, and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought about chapter twenty-one and be on the lookout for twenty-two soon!

* * *

 **October 2nd, 1939**

Tommy had been settling in well to his second year at Hogwarts. After receiving some truly historic marks the year before, breaking several records, all of his professors had high hopes for him this year, most especially his Head of House, Professor Slughorn. The man was constantly hinting that in just a few more years, he would be asked to join the man's little collection, hideously called the Slug Club. It hadn't taken Tommy long to realize that Slughorn collected the influential.

It inspired a little coil of pride inside him to know that people were _already_ recognizing that he was influential, that he was going places, when he wasn't even a teenager yet.

He was excited to forge his _own_ way in Hogwarts, now that Dorea was gone. Of course, he cared for his stepsister, but he didn't need her acting like a mother hen to him. He was becoming a man, and he was able to look after himself. The best was other people were beginning to recognize this in him as well.

He'd been curious to see what kind of new Slytherins they had gotten that year, making mental notes about all the little firsties at the sorting. Alfred Nott was probably had the most promise, though everyone overlooked him on account of his rabbity and small appearance. Tommy could appreciate that, just as much as he could appreciate the boy's devious nature. There was a Carrow as well, called Reginald, though he preferred Reggie, but Tommy found him embarrassing. They hadn't been in school for hardly a month and the boy had already cost Slytherin house fifty points. And Tommy intended for Slytherin to win the House Cup this year...really, it was embarrassing that they'd come in second to Gryffindor last year.

The only other two Slytherin boys in first year were called Crabbe and Goyle, who Tommy thought were hardly worth his time except for their exceptionally large size. He supposed, much like the imbecile Avery, they would serve a certain purpose.

It would take time, but he was so looking forward to the day when he revealed to the rest of the Slytherin boys just how much power he had. He longed for the day that he could reveal that Salazar Slytherin's blood ran in his veins. Then Abraxas wouldn't think that he was so funny when he said mean things about Tommy or his mum. Abraxas would be pissing himself to kiss Tommy's shoe.

He knew that he would need proof, though, so he'd headed to the library. His mum always told him that the library was the best place to start when you were looking for more information. Tommy smirked to himself, realizing that he would be able to gather information on all the other boys' families too, which could only work when he needed a little bit extra leverage. Hell, the Black family itself had all sorts of problems hidden in the branches of his family tree, so he couldn't imagine what sort of secrets the others as well.

Tommy took copious notes on his own family, knowing that his parents were Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle. He wouldn't even deen to put that man down with his magical birth mother, knowing that he was the epitome of muggle filth that Cygnus was always harping against. He wondered how Marius handled it, knowing how wonderful the magical world was, and then being sent away.

Merope Gaunt had a brother called Morfin, but Tommy quickly learned that he was in Azkaban prison, for using magic against muggles, apparently, not that Tommy could blame him. His grandfather, a man called Marvolo, was dead. Tommy had smiled, finally figuring out where his middle name had come from - he and his mum had never talked about it.

His grandmother, Demelza Millefeuille, had been dead for many years, but he was excited to see his connection to his mummy. After all, long before she'd been Hermione Black, she'd been Hermione Millefeuille. His grandmother's brother was called Albaric, and he'd married a woman and they'd had his mum, though the big directory of French purebloods only noted that they had a daughter, born in the autumn. It made him happy to see how they were truly connected, though she would always be his mummy.

As far as he could tell, the Millefeuilles had lived in France for as long as history stretched, so he figured that that Gaunt side was the better side to research the connection to Salazar Slytherin. Besides, only he was a parselmouth, not his mummy, so he figured it was a trait shared to the Gaunt side of the family. He wished he could ask someone...maybe he would send Uncle Morfin a letter, if they were allowed letters in Azkaban.

For now, he would look into Marvolo's parents. Tommy knew it was going to be a lot of work, seeing as it would span several centuries back to the time of the founders, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it, even if he took him a whole year to trace it back.

* * *

 **October 31st, 1939**

"Tell me again who told you about this." Tommy demanded, wondering just why they were wandering through the edges of the Forbidden Forest on Halloween night, when it was surely the most dangerous time to enter into the forest.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Riddle." Abraxas said with a mean little sneer.

Tom didn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at the blond's antics. For some reason, he was constantly out to prove how much better he was than Tommy, though he failed more often than not. "No, I am just trying to weigh the risks and benefits here."

Abraxas turned to hiss at him. "Look, I heard Longbottom and Wood talking and they overheard Professor Kettleburn talking with Dippet about how there was a wounded unicorn in the forest. Do you want to find it or not? Just think, if we help it, it could grant our wildest wish!"

"Unicorns do _not_ grant wishes." Tom hissed, hating that he'd been woken up from his bed to go traipsing in the dark and cold for such a silly quest. And who could even believe the words of two Gryffindors. It was more likely that they were trying to set the Slytherins up in a trap of some kind, which would likely end up in detention.

"Besides, what would you even wish for Brax?" Edmond said beside him, throwing Tommy a secret little smile. "For Wally's hand in marriage?" The rest of the boys broke out in a fit of giggles, knowing that Walburga Black made no secret that she had her sights set on the Malfoy heir, to Abraxas's disgust. Even in the dark, Tommy could see that Abraxas's cheeks were bright pink.

"Well, at least someone actually _wants_ to marry me. Not like any of you cretins." Abraxas argued, but unfortunately for him, all the boys were still at the age that girls hadn't quite come onto their radar, though it was on the precipice. In another year, there would be Hogsmeade weekends, and awkward hand holding, and stolen kisses, but for now, the thought of kissing a girl - or worse, kissing Walburga - was too much to consider.

Edmond was turning out to be a very genuine friend, Tommy was quickly learning. They understood each other in ways that the other boys wouldn't for years. Edmond was the only person thinking of what lie beyond Hogwarts, and the only one who was making any kind of plans for what he'd like to do after school. Edmond was the only person who had realized that power - not influence, or money, or good looks - was what drove your success in life. And Tommy could respect that, so long as Edmond understood who was really in charge between the two of them when push came to shove.

It was Dmitri who caught the shimmering quicksilver blood smeared on the tree, and in an excited sequence of Russian expletives got the rest of their attention. "That's unicorn blood, right?" He asked, bouncing on his heels, clearly proud of himself. Tommy made a note of that as well...clearly Dolohov enjoyed being recognized for his contributions.

The boys, feel of eagerness and hope, bubbling up out of their throats in a cacophony of whispers, began to track the silvery blood as it dripped along through the forest. Tommy kept his hand tight around his wand, knowing that they were drawing a large amount of attention to themselves. Obviously, Malfoy didn't care whether the _other_ creatures in the forest would attack them, but he wasn't about to bring it up again, in case he was accused of being _scared_ again. His ego could only take so much.

They tromped happily up through the leaves, breaking sticks and rustling branches, and they quickly came upon the clearing, bursting through, thrumming with wonder at what they were going to find. Dmitri had gone through first, and his unexpected stop had the rest of his dormmates crashing into him, even sending Evan sprawling on his arse.

Tommy looked beyond Dmitri, feeling his heart leap to his chest to see that the clearing was already occupied by Professors Dumbledore and Kettleburn, Headmaster Dippet, and two centaurs, as well as a dead unicorn. It seemed no one would be getting their wishes.

"Children." Dumbledore said calmly, seemingly unruffled at finding them. Tommy rankled at being called a _child_. "What in Merlin's name are you doing out of bed after curfew - and in the _Forbidden_ Forest no less?"

Avery was the one with a bumbling answer for the bespeckled man, though Tommy thought that they couldn't have thought of a _worse_ spokesman for the group. "We heard there was a unicorn, and Malfoy said it would grant us a wish if we helped it."

The centaur took the most offense to that statement, his tail swishing behind him, and strong arms crossing over huge, muscled chest. Tommy felt a bit vindicated to know that it was true that the unicorn wouldn't grant them a wish, though he felt stupid for being lumped in with the rest of the boys. "That does not forgive breaking of the rules, Mr. Avery. I think that some extended detention should help get the message across." Headmaster Dippet said sternly. "And five points from Slytherin, _each_. Perhaps since you are so interested in magical creatures, you can help Professor Kettleburn with some cleaning."

Before Kettleburn could agree to the help, Dumbledore just had to butt in. "As it happens, Armando, I do have some turtles to get ready for the third year's transfiguration lessons. Perhaps the boys might be able to help me with that instead."

Tommy kept his face cool, though he wanted nothing more than to throw a tantrum at being assigned detention with the fool Dumbledore. It was no secret that Dumbledore had it out for Slytherins, and Tommy hated the way Dumbledore seemed to keep a particular eye on him. Like he always knew what he was up to. Plus, he thought working with Kettleburn might have actually been interesting. He kept silent when Dumbledore offered to escort them back to the dungeons, annoyed with himself for getting caught.

It wasn't very Slytherin at all.

* * *

 **December 24th, 1939**

Hermione watched from the side of the room while Charlus Potter spun the newly minted Mrs. Dorea Potter around the ballroom, looking like she hung the moon and stars. If she squinted her eyes, she could almost imagine that it was _Harry's_ wedding she was at. She felt tears in her eyes, and she wondered if this might not have been such a happy occasion if she hadn't been there to calm Cygnus. She knew that in this case, at least, her presence in the past had given Dorea a happy ending.

It seemed as if _everyone_ in the wizarding world had been invited into the Potter's grand ballroom, and she wondered if it was some kind of dig from Henry Potter to Cygnus, for thinking that the Potters were somehow not good enough for Dorea _Black_.

Still, it meant for a fun night of socializing for Hermione, seeing people that she didn't normally see - like old Madame Brown, who seemed pleased with how well she'd done for herself, and Lady Rowle, who always treated her like an upstart. She also saw some of her good friends like Flavia. And of course, she saw her pushy family, their disappointment with her painfully obvious.

She enjoyed seeing Tommy in his formal dress robes, taking Belvina's daughter around the room for a turn, showing off the dancing skills he'd acquired in his youth. If only he didn't look quite so _miserable_ to have Elladora chatting his ear off.

Hermione giggled at the sight behind her glass of champagne, which was flowing freely as the night went on, compliments of magically refilling glasses. She was already feeling a little bubbly and tipsy, but most importantly, happy while she watched her son.

"My, my, is that what the mother of the bride fashion is like here in England?" Radalphus's accented voice cut through the din of the rest of the guests, and Hermione wondered if it was just because she was so attuned to _him_.

She blushed prettily, turning to greet him with a smile, and a kiss pressed to his bearded cheek. She'd worn a form fitting shimmering gold dress that had made Irma a little bit green with envy to see the way that Cygnus's eyes had lingered on hers. Hermione wished she could play off his compliment in a fun and flirty way. "I can't wear anything without someone disapproving of it. They usually blame it on my _continental ways_."

"Who could not approve of seeing you in that?" He asked, giving her a warm smile.

Hermione was reminded of the last time she'd been along with Radalphus, when he'd tried to kiss her in the gardens at his home and she'd turned him away. In a way, she was pleased to know that he still hadn't given up on her, because whenever she saw him, she felt her heart speed up a bit. She couldn't lie...she'd entertained several fantasies in the bath about what could have happened if she'd only met that kiss head on. "The Black paterfamilias for one. Sirius." She said, pointing the man out.

"Your husband seems to enjoy it." He said, standing next to her, pressing his side against her's, his hand coming to rest on her lower back, the warmth seeping into her body. She enjoyed the way that he spoke low, a secret little conversation with just the two of them. He was the only one who seemed to understand her.

Looking up at him, she caught his warm brown eyes, and gave him a little smirk. "I didn't dress up for him." She didn't say what was hanging in between them, that she might have dressed this way, in the hope that Radalphus would be there, and that him might still notice her.

His own breath caught in his throat, when he seemed to understand her meaning, even if it remained unsaid. He turned to face her, letting his hand slide to rest on her waist. "How would you like to go for a turn around the room?" He asked.

Hermione wanted to groan at just how attracted to him she was. She was playing with fire, she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself. Nodding, she let Radalphus lead her to the dance floor, and took one of his hands in her own, mesmerized by how much larger his paw was than her dainty hand. She placed the other on his shoulder, enjoying the feel of the muscle under his own dress robes. His hand settled on her waist, and she thought she must be _crazy_ because it felt right there.

She didn't object when he held her a little bit closer than what was probably socially acceptable. Instead, everyone else in the room seemed to fade away, and she was instead just drawn into conversation with Radalphus, talking about his children. It was one of the more attractive things about him, that he seemed to care so much about his children, because it was something that she felt as well. Apparently, Mercedes was getting quite antsy to go to Hogwarts.

For once, she let her mind wander, and she found herself wishing that the night would never end, that she could stay in Radalphus's warm protective bubble forever, and she felt a giggle coming on. Of course, she didn't _know_ if he was really going to be Rodolphus and Rabastan's grandfather, but judging from the name she thought it was a real possibility. How was it that two such odious Death Eaters could come from the same gene pool as such a delightful man, who was remarkably simple, who was ambitious and sexy and funny and read muggle literature. She wondered what happened.

She let Radalphus lead her through the steps of another dance, effortlessly guiding her around the room, practiced. Hermione let her eyes peek over the top of his shoulder, her chin resting against his chest, only to come face to face with her husband.

To her surprise, she could see a kind of jealous rage in his eyes, from where he was standing, seeing her so happy in the arms of another man. She wondered if he was finally realizing that his continued adultery with Irma, who he was ostensibly in a conversation with, had consequences. That he might realize that she wasn't pining for him when he was with other women. She wondered if part of it, though, was the fact that it was Radalphus whose arms she was in, knowing that he held a bit of a grudge against him for some reason. Perhaps because Radalphus was good looking, better than the Black family looks, and that he and Hermione obviously got on smashingly.

Hardening herself, she refused to let herself feel bad for Cygnus. If she'd loved him, truly, she would have been devastated by his continued cheating. He obviously didn't care about how his affair with Irma hurt her or hell, even his own son, so why she should care how her enjoying a night of dancing in a handsome man's arms?


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know you all are loving the Radalphus interaction, but unfortunately he doesn't really appear in this chapter - I think you will enjoy the character that is included though. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and give story updates.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-two and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-three soon!

* * *

 **January 15th, 1940**

"Hermione darling." Her husband's voice broke through her concentration in the library, and Hermione thought it was a bit odd that he should be home at this hour of the day.

"In the library, dear." She called back, alerting him to where she was. Ever since Tommy had been at school, Hermione had been able to spend her days researching for leisure, knowing that Cygnus would never permit her to have a job. Still it managed to break up some of the banality of spending day after day just having lunch or tea with the other pureblooded ladies or her in-laws, so she was happy to hole up alone most days. She'd done a fair bit with spell creation, simple things mostly, but found that she wasn't _quite_ a natural at it, as she would have expected. Now, she'd turned her focus towards healing cursed scars. It was a bit selfish, yes, but she wanted the reminder of Bellatrix Lestrange to be removed from her body. Plus, she knew it would help others down the line as well.

She'd noticed that ever since Dorea's wedding, Cygnus had been...unnecessarily affectionate with her. Perhaps he'd felt the fear for once that she knew about his continued affair and was trying to keep her placated and happy. It wasn't completely unwelcome - it was always nice to feel wanted, of course - but it was a bit confusing to her.

Just as confusing as when a large puppy came bounding into the room, green ribbon tied around it's neck in a huge bow. The puppy put its paws up on Hermione's leg, his tongue happily licking at the air, wishing that it could give her all kinds of kisses, but she held it at bay. Giggling at it's antics, she looked up to see Cygnus smiling down at her fondly. "I got you a present."

"You got me a puppy?" She asked, surprised giving the hound a scratch behind it's ears. The dog was happy enough, pushing his head back into her hand, wanting more contact with his new owner. "Whatever for, Cygnus?"

"Well, I've been feeling...a bit poorly lately, at you being cooped up at home all alone, with me gone at work so much, and the children out of the house. I wanted you to have a bit of company." Cygnus said, his blond hair framing his face, his gray eyes warm and fond. "And, well, Brutus's wife breeds wolfhounds, and they just had a litter, so I purchased one for you. What will you name him?"

Cygnus sat down on the couch next to Hermione, though he kept his distance while she patted the space between them, and the dog nestled it's body between them, face resting against Hermione's thigh. For a moment she thought about naming it _Bellatrix_ , knowing that it would take the name away from the future Mrs. Lestrange. If there was one thing that the Blacks couldn't abide by it was naming their children after pets. But, she didn't want to say that name every day of her life, the memories still painful, and further, the dog was a male.

Scrunching her nose up, she looked at the dog. It was an _Irish_ wolfhound, after all. "Seamus." She said with a little grin on her face. It was odd, she hadn't thought about her old classmate for many, many years, but it was nice to have a little reminder of the rather nice boy, who was always starting things on fire.

"Seamus." Cygnus repeated, testing the name on his lips. "Fitting I suppose." Cygnus scratched the dog behind the ear, a rather pedestrian move, if Hermione thought on it. "It will bring me comfort to know that he will be here protecting you when I cannot."

Hermione could not stop from snorting in amusement. "I do not need a _dog_ to protect me Cygnus. Surely by this point you should know that I am well versed with my wand, and not afraid to use it." They had never really spoken about her magical prowess, mostly because she was positive that Cygnus knew she was _better_ than he was, and it made him very uncomfortable. Hell, he'd even been on the receiving end of one of her nastier hexes once, so he should have first hand knowledge..

"Of course." He conceded, looking at his hands in his lap. "Still, I confess it will make me feel better. At least the dog has a better sense of hearing than you do. He can alert you to any danger."

"Danger? Why do you think that there would be danger here at Black Manor?" Her eyebrows were furrowed together, trying to think of anytime that the wards might have been breached in the last months, though she could come up with nothing.

"It's nothing to trouble yourself over, darling." Cygnus said, patting Hermione on the hand. "I just worry, as Grindelwald's forces grow bolder. Many think that only Dumbledore can stop him, but the Professor stays hidden away at Hogwarts."

It was unusual to think of her husband as worrying about _anything_ when he normally acted so carefree, but maybe this was his attempt at opening up to her. Perhaps he sensed the rift between them growing wider every day, and now he was trying to foster some closeness between them. Whatever his intentions were, it made Hermione feel off kilter.

Pressing a kiss to her husband's cheek, she thanked him for the puppy. "I think I will take Seamus for a walk through the gardens. Would you care to join us?" She offered, not wanting to make him feel as though she was running away from him.

Instead, Cygnus declined, looking at the clock anxiously, before telling her he had business to attend to in his study, and not to disturb him until dinner. She didn't need divination to know that _that_ meant Irma.

* * *

 **March 25th, 1940**

Tommy walked purposefully through the halls of Hogwarts on his way back from the owlery where he had just sent off his weekly letter to his mum. She'd written about some troubling things, including the fact that she had a new familiar, a hulking dog called Seamus, of which she'd included a picture, and the fact that Wally, Al and baby Cygnus were coming to stay with them for a week over the summer while Pollux and Irma went on a vacation together.

Perhaps he'd see if Edmond was willing to let him come stay for a week while his annoying relatives were there. He'd have to get his mum's permission as well, but she seemed to have a good rapport with Mr. Lestrange, if Dorea's wedding was anything to go by. He'd seen how _happy_ she looked, laughing at whatever Mr. Lestrange was telling her while they twirled around the exsquiste ballroom the Potters had done up. It had been nice to see his mum happy for a change, when he'd come to believe that his stepfather was holding her back.

It was no secret that his mum was a beautiful woman - not flashy and dumb like Abraxas's mum - but she was more _refined_. And, he thought she'd been the prettiest person at the wedding wearing her gold dress, even if he'd overheard Ursula saying that she found the cut distasteful. His mum deserved to be shown off about the room, and well, if Mr. Lestrange was going to be the one to do that, it was alright with him. So long as the Frenchman didn't get any ideas.

Edmond had been too busy dancing with his whiny little sister to notice what was going on, but Tommy noticed _everything_.

He was eager to get back to his common room, having a few more touches to put on his charms essay before he went to bed, so he almost didn't notice the sound when he passed it the first time. It took him a moment, but he was quick to realize that it was a snake he was hearing, the seductive language of parseltongue coming through the walls of the castle, though this sounded _much_ different than Slither. He pressed his hands against the stone wall and tried to speak back to it, only to find that the creature didn't hear him _or_ it was ignoring him.

It was definitely on the move, and from the sound of its words, was after some kind of quarry, though what it could be he couldn't be sure. Surely a mouse or a rat of some kind. " _Scurry, scurry, little tasty. Taste your blood. Taste your fear. Kill."_

Tommy hurried along after the creature, cursing when it began moving too fast for him to follow without running. He was intrigued by whatever this _thing_ could be, and he wanted to see it with his own eyes. He'd never heard of any magical creature _living_ in Hogwart's walls before, and he wondered just what it was. Did the professors know about it? Or the ghosts? Or Peeves?

Maybe it was just an animal that had wandered inside the hallowed school just to get warm. But, upon hearing its words he wanted to know just what it was, what it looked like. It was unusual for an animal to think of _killing_ , typically, they thought of killing prey as _hunting_. So it was certainly curious.

He wasn't watching where he was going when he took a tumble down a set of stairs, his body rolling dangerously, his hands coming around his head to protect it. He thanked Merlin for landing at the bottom of the stairs, seeing as they were not currently moving, but he groanded when he sat up, feeling the bumps and bruises. This was a little bit beyond what he could cure on his own with his wand, so it meant that he would have to go to the matron to get patched up. Even worse was the fact that he'd lost his quarry.

Stalking off in the direction of the infirmary, Tommy promised himself that he would keep his ears peeled while he was wandering about, and he'd even ask Slither if she could suss out what the creature was. But in the meantime, he was going to need to do some more research in the library.

* * *

 **April 12th, 1940**

Hermione was waiting for Marius at the same diner that they always met at, her ordered coffee cooling rapidly, while her knee bounced in anticipation. As soon as she'd stepped into the muggle world, she remembered all of her childhood history lessons and practically wanted to smack herself silly for forgetting about a little thing called World War Two!

Great Britain would have joined the war months ago, and she felt her guilt well up inside of her for going so long without seeing her former stepson. He had been living as a muggle for many, many years at this point, so she was positive he was _aware_ of muggle warfare, but it must be very frightening for a pureblood wizard to hear about tanks, and machine guns, and mustard gas. Merlin, if only she'd been there to comfort him, give him a little bit of warning. She wondered if he was okay, if his new family was okay.

She let out a breath of relief when Marius finally came into the diner, looking more man than boy for the first time that she could remember. He'd grown tall, taller than Cygnus, but despite his short cropped haircut, she could still see the mirror image of her husband in his son.

Hermione stood when he strode over to her table, and she was surprised when he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "How are you doing Marius? How is working at the restaurant?"

Marius sat down across from her and gave an oldly melancholy smile. "It's alright...good experience. But not a lot of people want to go out to eat right now, with rationing for the war and all." He said, and Hermione nodded, remembering all the little facts she'd learned in history class. "Tell me, how is everyone? Dorea? Tom?"

"Dorea is now Dorea Potter. She was married to Charlus just over the holidays." Hermione said, her heart clenching when she thought of how he must feel to not even know that his own little sister was getting married.

"Excellent. Kid's had a crush on Potter since as long as I can remember." He said instead, a fond smile ghosting his face.

"Yes, they are very much in love right now." Hermione said, thinking of how they'd sent the newlyweds off on a long honeymoon after the New Year. "Tommy is doing well at Hogwarts. He had top marks last year." Again, she felt badly, rubbing in her son's success at Hogwarts, when Marius hadn't even had the opportunity to go to the school. He'd been so _excited_ to go to Hogwarts.

Marius nodded eagerly. "Good, good, I was always able to tell...Tom is going places." He reached across the table and grabbed Hermione's hand in his, looking at her seriously. "Listen, Hermione, I am not going to be able to keep meeting with you, for a while. But do you promise that you will keep them all safe? Dorea, Cass, Tommy and yourself?"

Hermione bristled, wondering if it had become too much for him to keep meeting with her and hearing about how happy the rest of them were to move on, keep living their own lives, _without_ him. "What's happened Marius? Was it something I've done?" She asked, a bubble of saddness lodging it's way into her throat.

He shook his head, a sad smile on his face again. "No, I've decided to enlist. This war...well, I need to fight for what's right."

She couldn't stop the gasp from her throat, before she started shaking her head, wild curls whiping around her face. "No, no Marius you can't!" She cried, feeling tears well up in her eyes. He could be hurt or killed in the war. She knew all the facts and figures, about how many soldiers _didn't_ come back, and she couldn't bare the thought of Marius being one of them. She'd wanted to spare everyone the wounds of war, but she hadn't accounted for this. She felt like a huge idiot. "You are just a boy." She whispered, staring into his familiar grey eyes, and wondered if anyone had ever pleaded with her Sirius like this.

Marius's face hardened at her words. "I'm not a boy, Hermione. I'm twenty-one now, and I need to fight for _my_ country. This is my life now and I can't just pretend like it isn't going on, not like the rest of you can in your world."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she knew that he was right. Worse was knowing that there was no arguing with him. She stood up, wrapping him in a tight hug, wishing that there was something she could still do to protect him. Instead, he pulled back, his thumbs wiping the tears from her eyes. He looked at her so fondly that she felt her heart might break.

Marius cupped her jaw gently, not letting her look away from him, while he lowered his face to hers, slanting his lips against hers in a fierce kiss. She gasped, never having registered that Marius might feel this way for her, and when she did, he pressed his tongue inside her mouth, caressing her gently once, before retreating.

She stared up at him, cheeks flaming red in embarrassment, wondering how she was going to tell him that she didn't feel _that way_ for him. "Don't worry." He whispered. "I know you don't think of me like that. But...I had to try, because it might be my last chance. Don't worry about me Hermione."

Tears started up again at his words, knowing that he knew that he might be marching off to his death. She gripped his arm tightly. "Take care of yourself, Marius." She thrust some of her magic forward in her hand, wanting to imbue him with whatever magical luck she could, so that he could return to England, unharmed.

* * *

 **June 10th, 1940**

"Tommy, love, have you seen Seamus?" His mother's voice called from down the hall towards his bedroom. Tommy had been in his bedroom, reading through _Hogwarts, A History_ , trying to get any information about the creature that was in the walls of the school, but so far, he'd had no luck. He was starting to think it was nothing more than a common snake that had gotten trapped inside, which would be disappointing.

"Sorry, mum, I think he was out in the garden." He responded when she peeked her curly head inside the room. "Mum, can I...can I talk to you about something?" He asked, feeling a little bit unsure of himself, but knowing that it was something he would have to do.

His mum walked in the room purposefully, shutting the door behind her so that they wouldn't be disturbed. She sat on the edge of the bed, where he had his knees propped up, holding the large tome. "Of course you can Tommy. You can talk to me about anything." She said, her brown eyes shining with love, but there, beneath the surface there was a little bit of concern too.

"I don't want to be called Tommy anymore." He started, his face scrunched up in an effort to relay his feelings in a productive way. It was no good getting all emotional like a Gryffindor after all. "I want you to start calling me Tom."

He'd thought about it long and hard while he was at school...after all, he was thirteen now, he was becoming a man, and the name Tommy just seemed so childish, so juvenile, at this point. He already hated his name because of how common it seemed, not to mention the fact that he was named after such an odious muggle. But, none of his friends went by little pet names either. Abraxas, Edmond, hell, even Bernard - they all had strong, commanding names. Names that sounded like they _belonged_ in the Wizengamot.

Well, Tom wasn't much of an improvement, but it was certainly much better than the childish _Tommy_. He couldn't imagine the Minister of Magic having a name like _Tommy Riddle_.

To his joy, his mother looked at him shrewdly and nodded. "Yes, of course, I can start calling you Tom, darling. I suppose you are getting older now, and...well, as much as I wish you could have just stayed my baby forever, you are growing up."

"Thank you, mum." He said shyly. She always seemed to know exactly what to say to him, what would cheer him up.

"I will let Cygnus and the others know as well, but it might take some getting used to." She said, standing up and smoothing his wavy hair over into it's side part. "So, you will have to be patient with us while we get used to the change."

Tom agreed, and watched as his mother left the room, in search of that terror of a familiar of hers, and thought again about his name. He'd never thought about it before, but Minister Riddle certainly had quite the ring to it.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am kind of excited that I surprised you all with the Marius bits! And, I will tell you all right now that I promise nothing bad is going to happen with Seamus! I can't kill two pets in one story. This chapter sees the return of Radalphus. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and give story updates.

Oh! And I almost forgot! With this chapter we are officially over halfway through this story! Exciting!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-three and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-four soon!

* * *

 **August 6th, 1940**

Hermione had only been too happy to accept the Greengrass's invitation to dinner to spend some time with her new goddaughter, Mina. The birth had been difficult for Flavia, so she hadn't been able to keep as many social engagements as she normally did, but now was eager to have company after so much time spent with just her family for entertainment. Cygnus was traveling, apparently meeting with the Belgian Ministry to try and negotiate some kind of trade deals, before he would head to Paris to spend a little time with Cassiopeia. Despite her husband's best attempts, it seemed as though his eldest daughter was determined to estrange herself from the English society that had scorned her.

She thought about asking Dorea and Charlus to watch Tommy - Tom, for the evening, but then he made a very compelling argument that he could watch himself for one night. He said that he was obviously responsible enough, having achieved the highest marks at Hogwarts for a second year. She supposed that he was going to be fourteen in only a few more months, and perhaps it was time to give him a little more trust. Making sure he knew how to contact her or the new Potters, just in case anything happened.

Hermione had dressed in a casual green dress, knowing that she was friendly enough with the Greengrasses at this point that they didn't care if she wasn't dressed to the nines for a simple dinner. As soon as she walked through the Floo, Hermione was immediately engulfed in a hug from eight year old Graeme. "Mione! Did you come to see the baby?"

The boy was quickly joined by Rosalie, eager to be picked up in Hermione's arms. "Yes, I did come to meet your sister." Hermione said, ruffling blond curls, and pressing a kiss to Rosalie's cheek. Even though her parents loved her, Hermione knew it must be difficult for the little girl to adjust to not being the center of her parents' attention. "Shall we go see your parents?"

The children lead her to the parlor, where Flavia and Gareth were already wait. "Hermione, lovely to see you again." Gareth greeted her, before pressing a kiss to her cheek, and taking Rosalie from her arms.

Hermione in turn sat next to Flavia, who was holding the newest addition to her family lovingly in her arms. "Oh, Flavia, don't you make the most beautiful children." Hermione gushed, eagerly taking the little thing when her mother offered. "She's gorgeous." The baby was fussy for a moment, before she got settled into Hermione's arms, drifting back off to dreamland.

"Thank you, Hermione." Flavia said, sincerely. "And thank you again for agreeing to be godmother. I just know that you were the best choice for my little Mina. No matter _what_ my brother's wife has to say about it." Hermione knew there was some ongoing tension between Lady Rowle and Lady Greengrass.

Before they could talk anymore, they heard the Floo go again. "I wonder who that could be." Gareth said, hopping to his feet. "I will just go see." With the other man out of the room, Hermione turned to get as much gossip on Flavia's sister-in-law as possible. Apparently there were some...tensions, between her and her husband, and of course, Flavia was firmly on the side of her brother.

When Gareth reentered the room, he brought another man with him. Hermione's eyes widened seeing Radalphus following behind him, looking as handsome as ever. She felt her heart speed up at the sight of him, looking so casual. His white shirt was not entirely buttoned once again, giving him a bit of a roguish look. Try as she might, she couldn't help but be transfixed by the sight of him. "I am so sorry, it slipped my mind that I've invited Mr. Lestrange over for dinner. You don't mind, terribly, do you ladies?"

Flavia, completely in the dark about the...feelings, brewing between Hermione and Radalphus, graciously told him that he was welcome. "Of course I don't mind. It would be lovely to have you stay for dinner, Radalphus. And perhaps, after dinner, the four of us could play cards." She offered, thinking that it was rather nice to have an even number.

Gareth patted a hand on Radalphus's back. "And of course, you've met Madame Black before, haven't you, old chap?"

Radalphus gave Hermione a smile that had her blushing to the roots of her hair. "Yes, of course. I have had the pleasure of dancing with Madame Black at several functions." He said, giving her a little bow. Hermione felt as if the sexual chemistry between the pair of them was palpable, but to her relief, the Greengrasses didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

They all moved then to the dining room, and Hermione spent most of her time interacting with Graeme and Rosalie, asking them about how they were finding their summers, and even holding Mina for a while so that Flavia could eat unimpeded by a sleeping baby. She could feel the weight of Radalphus's eyes on her all evening, and she remembered, once again, him telling her that he was _captivated_ by her.

After dinner, they returned to the parlor for drinks. "You two won't mind chatting with each other while we put the children to sleep, would you?" Gareth asked, picking up a sleepy Rosalie in his arms. Hermione blushed but assured him that she did not mind.

Suddenly, the warmth of Radalphus's body that radiated against her's while they sat side by side on the couch seemed dizzying. This was the first time that they'd been alone since they'd taken their little walk in the garden, and Hermione could feel her heart beat in anticipation, wondering just what was going to happen _this_ time.

It was Radalphus who spoke first, after turning his body towards her, one arm coming to rest on the back of couch near her shoulders. "You do very well with the children." He said, his brown eyes searching her face.

She could practically feel the question hanging in the air... _why didn't_ she _have any of her own_. She hated that it seemed as though her worth were completely wrapped up with her ability to have children. Perhaps she just _chose_ not to have children. "My husband…" Hermione started, unsure of what she wanted to admit to the handsome man. She really had no idea _what_ his intentions were with her. "I've been given a clean bill of health." She settled on, letting him fill in what he wished.

Radalphus nodded in understanding, recognizing that it was a sensitive topic and choosing not to press her further on it. She was grateful. Instead, he turned his attention to chatting about how life was for going for her - they hadn't spoken since the wedding, after all, and many months had passed in that time. She told him about her new familiar, revealing that she was _slightly_ disappointed that Cygnus didn't know her well enough to know that she was more of a cat person, and he in turn told her about how excited Mercedes had been to pick out her supplies for Hogwarts.

The fire was slowly dying and in the back of her mind, Hermione wondered just what was taking Gareth and Flavia so long. Every minute she spent with the handsome Lestrange, the more she could feel her self control eroding. She loved seeing the true smile on his face when he talked about his children, and the sound of his laugh, throaty and low. Sitting this close to him, she could feel his scent seeping into her, leaving it's mark - grapefruit and leather and spice. Merlin how she longed to press her face into his chest, breathing him in. She wondered what he looked like under his shirt, what the lean muscles that she could feel anytime they touched would do if she ran her fingers down his chest.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was leaning in closer and closer to him, her eyes trained on his lips. Godric, she'd dreamed of what it would feel like to have him pressing fevered kisses to her lips, her neck, her…

She chanced a peek at his eyes through her lashes and she found him just as transfixed on her as she was on him. She let her eyelids flutter shut, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. This was it, this was the moment that she was going to cross the line and finally kiss Radalphus.

Before they could meet, though, Gareth was back in the room. If he noticed his two guests jumping apart, he didn't say anything. Hermione could feel the blush on her cheeks, red and hot, while she kept her eyes on a spot on the carpet - as far from Radalphus as possible. "I am so sorry, cards will have to wait for another time, I'm afraid. I just went to check to see how Flavia was doing with Mina, and it seems as if my wife has fallen asleep."

Hermione practically jumped from the couch. "Don't worry about it Gareth, it's getting quite late anyway. I should be getting home to Tom. Another time perhaps?" She pressed a kiss into the older man's cheek, even though she didn't know if she should be grateful to him or cursing his name. "Mr. Lestrange, good night." She offered, giving the seated man a little curtsy, but not brave enough to meet his eyes.

Without waiting for Gareth to see her out, she quickly hurried to the Floo, and stepped through to her home. She hoped that he didn't think her terribly rude for leaving so quickly, but what she needed most of all right now was some distance to figure out what she was doing.

* * *

 **September 26th, 1940**

Tom had been enjoying the start of the new school year so far. Third year meant a lot of big changes - new faces, new classes, new activities. Slytherin had a new crop of boys - notably his cousin Alphard and a rather spindly boy called Higgs. Alphard, who'd always managed to be carefree in a way that Tom sometimes envied, told him that his parents were surely happy that he went Slytherin, seeing as _all_ Blacks went Slytherin. He got the distinct impression that Alphard included him in those ranks, which was...unusual for Tom, but not unwelcome. It was nice to be a _part_ of something.

Edmond had been endlessly disappointed that his little sister Mercedes had gone to Ravenclaw, and Tom could agree that it was a bit surprising. He hadn't spoken to her often, but he recognized the same little mean streak in her that he did in Edmond, and he wondered if they helped build that in one another through sibling rivalry. Still, it was no doubt that the girl had wit, and so he did his best to assure Edmond that she would be okay. It was tiring, always having his friend worrying about a little girl.

He'd had a whole bunch of new classes to sign up for too - he'd selected arithmancy, ancient runes, and care of magical creatures as electives. He'd considered divination as well, but his mum counseled him against it. "Ha, prophesies and crystal ball gazing. Let me tell you Tom, nothing is set in stone and the only person who can determine what you will achieve is yourself." He'd taken one look through the required textbook, before finding that he rather agreed with his mum. And he rather liked the idea of taking hold of his destiny. After all, no one was just going to hand him the position of Minister of Magic.

They'd also quickly found out that they'd be able to go on visits to Hogsmeade village this year. Tom wasn't too enthused about it, but he thought it would be good to get out of the castle every now and again, and stock up on anything he might need. He'd owled his mum the permission slip, and she sent it back with questions on whether he might be asking a girl on a _date_. Bleh.

School would be fine, if only Wally hadn't been walking around like the cat that had gotten the canary and he wondered just what it was that she _thought_ she knew. He wished that there was a way he could read her mind, and made a mental note to check the library if such magic existed.

It was a rainy autumn day when he finally figured out what it was. They were confined to their common room, seeing as the grounds were much too muddy to be out on, and Tom was trying to work on his ancient runes translation. It didn't take him too much effort, but it would be _much_ easier if Abraxas didn't look like he was going to burst from what he wanted to say. "Spit it out Malfoy, or stop hovering over me." He snarled, enjoying the way the blond flinched.

Only then, Abraxas seemed to square his shoulders, regaining his confidence, and letting a smirk slide onto his face. "Wally told us that your father is nothing more than a muggle!"

Tom couldn't stop the blush from creeping up his face. How on Earth had Wally figured it _that_ out? Tom tried to play it off confident. "So? You already knew I was a half-blood. It doesn't change the fact that I am the best wizard in this school."

Abraxas laughed cruelly, getting the attention of everyone else in the common room. "Oh Salazar, it's true? You really have a _filthy_ muggle for a father? No wonder you're so odd, Riddle." His laugh was big, as though it was the funniest joke he'd heard.

Avery couldn't help but chime in. "Your mother mated with a muggle!"

Tom set his jaw fiercely. They could say what they wanted about the man that was his sire, but they would keep his mother out of their thoughts entirely. He stood, advancing on the unsuspecting boys who were still laughing. He could feel magic coursing through him, and he could only focus on the fact that he wanted them to _hurt_. His magic pulsed out, and he felt a surge of pride at knowing he command his magic wandlessly, wordlessly. Abraxas was the first to stutter, but Avery followed quickly afterwards. A choking sound came from their throats, a hideous facsimile of laughter, but their eyes were wild and scared when they realized that they weren't getting any air. Both began to claw at their throats, desperate for oxygen to fill their lungs, while Tom looked on, smiling.

Edmond placed a hand on Tom's shoulder, finally getting his attention. He turned around, breaking his concentration, and letting up the spell that had been hurting his classmates. He couldn't stop the smirk from forming on his angelic visage when he heard their gasping coughs, eager to get fresh air into their lungs. Turning back to look at the two boys, he was embarrassed for the display they were making. "Don't ever forget who you're dealing with." Tom said, low and serious. "And don't ever speak about my mother again."

* * *

 **October 31st, 1940**

The fresh air on the balcony helped to cool Hermione's warm frame, and clear her mind. She'd had more than her share of mead at the Ministry's Samhain ball, dancing with many people, their faces covered by the colorful masks that they wore.

She'd come with a red and gold mask, while Cygnus had worn a black mask to hide their identities. It wasn't hard to pick out her husband though - even with the mask to cover the top half of his face, he still had the distinct Black look and swagger that was easily identified. It also hadn't been difficult to see that he was spending his evening talking with a "stranger". Irma had worn a lace mask that did nothing to hide her features. Though, it didn't seem as if Pollux minded too much, seeing him with a voluptuous blonde wrapped around him.

Hermione couldn't lie, she'd spent the majority of her night scanning the room for the only man that had been able to keep her attention, Radalphus Lestrange. Further, ever since they'd almost kissed at the Greengrasses, he'd invaded her mind like a poison. She was sure that if she just kissed him once, and got him out of her system, she'd be able to forget the silly little infatuation.

She rubbed her hands up and down bare arms, thinking that it was probably time to get back inside and rejoin the party. That was, until she felt the heavy weight of a cloak coming around her shoulders. Spinning around, she recognized Radalphus immediately, even though he wore a pale blue mask. "Speak of the devil." She said.

Radalphus smiled broadly. "I hope you don't think of me as the devil."

Hermione giggled, shaking her head no. "No, it's just a saying...I was just thinking about you, and then you appeared." She bit her lower lip, deciding to be a bit bold that night. "In fact, I've been looking for you all night."

That was the right thing to say, apparently, as Radalphus leaned closer towards her, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist, guiding her to a more secluded corner. Hermione's mind raced with possibilities. "I've only just arrived." Radalphus admitted, and Hermione sighed at the tone of his voice. Merlin, she could listen to him talk all day. "I saw you sneaking out here, and I couldn't let the moment to have you all to myself slip by."

Hermione turned in his arms, until they were chest to chest. This was dangerous, she knew, out here with a man who wasn't her husband, especially when he had his arms wrapped around her so possessively. But, she couldn't bring herself to push him away. She needed to throw off this...this hold he had on her.

"You look beautiful tonight, Hermione." He whispered, one hand coming up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She stared helplessly into his eyes, watching them darken with desire, while he slowly lowered his head, pressing his lips into hers.

The first touch was electric, as though it had seared her all the way until her soul. It was much more moving than she thought it would be, but eagerly pressed her hands onto his shoulders, deepening the kiss. Her mind was spinning from too much champagne or too much emotion and the press of his tongue moving against hers, sensuous and slow, had her moaning low in her throat. Merlin, she hadn't experienced this much...passion in as long as she could remember. When he pulled away, her heart was hammering in her chest, and she felt like a nervous school girl again. Being with Radalphus was exciting and fun, and she wanted...she wanted more.

"Hermione?" A voice called out onto the balcony, breaking the pair from their secluded corner rendezvous. She closed her eyes, recognizing the voice as that of her husband, Cygnus, and she wondered just what it was that pulled him away from Irma long enough to notice his absence.

Mouthing her apologies to Radalphus and handing him back his cloak, Hermione stepped out of the hidden corner that hid their forms, revealing herself to Cygnus. She just prayed that Radalphus would take the hint and stay behind, not willing to have a public row about what she was doing alone with another man, especially when she'd just been so naughty. "Yes, darling, what is it?"

"What are you doing out here?" Cygnus asked, his grey eyes looking over her flushed form curiously. She wondered if he could see her swollen, kiss bruised lips in the darkness.

"Oh, I just fancied a bit of fresh air. I got a bit hot inside the party." Hermione said with a hidden smile on her face. Of course, she'd just gotten a bit hot in Radalphus's arms too. It was almost nice to have a secret romance she decided. "Actually, I was thinking that I might head home, Cygnus. I've been feeling lightheaded all evening."

"Shall I come with you?" He offered, though Hermione knew that he didn't want to head home with her, especially if she was feeling "sick" when there was no opportunity for sex.

"That's fine darling. I am sure that Irma and Pollux can keep you entertained." Hermione said with a serene look on her face, enjoying the way that her continued hints about Irma got under her husband's skin. She was glad to leave her husband behind, thoughts of Radalphus following her all the way to her bedroom. She'd been wrong about one thing though. Kissing him did nothing but make her want him more.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I know you all were waiting for that kiss! I hope that you like where this chapter takes us, but of course, I am always happy to explain my rationale. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post story updates, sneak peeks, and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-four and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-five soon!

* * *

 **November 15th, 1940**

The day of Hogsmeade had finally arrived and Tom sat through breakfast veiling his anticipation. He'd never had a chance to explore the village before and he couldn't deny that he was eager to get out of the watchful eyes of all the professors for a while. Ever since they'd been caught out in the Forbidden Forest and completed their banal detention with Professor Dumbledore, they had been somehow labeled as naughty children. It had taken nearly all his time to return to his professor's good graces, and he'd just finally heard Professor Slughorn reduce their midnight exploration to "boys being boys." But now, now he could spread his wings a bit, and let his perfect facade slip just a little, so that he could be more himself.

Both Edmond and Tom were completely clueless as to what delights the village would hold, but Dmitri was only too happy to regale them with all the shops that they could hope to visit. The other boys seemed to be particularly taken with the idea of visit the Quidditch shop, even though none of them were on the Slytherin team - yet. He was certain that it was a matter of time before Malfoy and Avery joined, but Tom thought the sport was a waste of time.

No, Tom was much more interested in going to the bookshop and of course Honeyduke's. "Fancy a trip to the pet shop, Tom?" Edmond asked, trying to smooth his dark hair into an acceptable style that didn't look as though he'd only just woken up.

"Well, Slither is rather self-sufficient." Tom said, his familiar quite willing and able to hunt for her own food around the castle. But, he knew that Edmond had an owl that would surely need some supplies. "But I'll go with, so long as we can stop at Tomes and Scrolls."

"Is it alright if we go to the Quidditch shop?" Dmitri asked, looking at Tom with a question in his flinty eyes. Was Dolohov really asking him _permission_ to go where he wanted in Hogsmeade, Tom wondered? It was impossible to stop the smirk from sliding across his face. Of course, Tom recognized that he was a leader, but it was lovely to see that the rest of his classmates were coming to realize that as well, falling into place and following him without any real effort on his part. They all remembered, he supposed, what had happened when they followed Abraxas's lead after a wounded unicorn, and they weren't about to make the same mistake again.

"Yes, you may." Tom said, feeling magnanimous for once. Besides, he didn't want to spend his afternoon listening to Malfoy's annoying voice. He turned to the other boy at their table. "Evan, would you like to go with Edmond and I or will you be joining the others on their trip to the Quidditch shop?"

Evan's eyes darting between Malfoy and Tom, before he stiffened his shoulders. "I'll go with you. I fancy getting a few packs of pepper imps."

Tom watched with eager delight at the way that Dmitri's shoulders seemed to slump, when he realized that he might have made the wrong choice of who to spend his time with. It would do good for him to learn that doing what Tom wanted to do could only help him. Wanting to maintain this new sensation of the other boys looking to _him_ for what to do, Tom settled his hands on the table. "Well then that's settled. We'll meet back at the Hog's Head in two hours for a butterbeer. I've heard Dumbledore's brother works there and I want to get a look at him."

The six boys bundled up in their cloaks and their Slytherin scarves and made their way to the village all together, but soon split their ways, with a renewed promise to meet at the Hog's Head. Evan, Edmond and Tom quickly handled their business at the pet store - copious owl treats acquired - before heading in the direction of Honeyduke's. The candy store was incredibly busy, but they eventually got everything they wanted - Tom leaving with a rather large sack of fudge. His mum never let him indulge in too many sweets, always saying something about the sugar not being good for his teeth, but he supposed growing up with a grandfather who ran a bakery might make her sick of sweets.

Afterwards, the three boys went in the direction of the bookstore, to spend their final hour before they had to meet up with the others. Tom was looking for a few books on pureblood genealogy and of course, parselmouths. He found several useful texts on genealogy that he was sure would be full of all kinds of things he could use to his advantage, but nothing on parselmouths. He might need to ask him mum for additional help with that.

When they finally made it to the Hog's Head, the other three boys were waiting there eagerly, Abraxas with a look on his face like he'd rather be anywhere else. It didn't bother Tommy. He would learn his place, too, soon enough.

They all chatted over butterbeers, but Tom found his attention captured by the man that worked behind the bar. There was no doubt that he was related to Dumbledore, and it got his mind wandering. Just what kind of secrets could Dumbledore have for Tom to take advantage of? Everyone could be manipulated.

He just had to find out where to press.

* * *

 **December 19th, 1940**

Hermione stormed back through the Floo, tears running down her cheeks. She refused to spend one more _minute_ with those awful people - her family. They seemed determined to ruin any kind of happy occasion, including Christmas. Tom had decided to stay at Hogwarts, seeing as it was his first year with elective classes and he wanted to be prepared for exams, which of course she supported, but it also meant she had nothing to distract her from their sniping.

It wouldn't be so bad, if they weren't always on about how important family was to them, when their family tree was so convoluted, with crisscrossing branches. Of course, they had brought up the baby thing _again_ as though Hermione wasn't _incredibly_ aware of how disappointed in them they were. Of course, there must be something wrong with her, if she still hadn't conceived yet. Cygnus just sat by, not saying anything, when he knew that it wasn't her that was the problem, unwilling to stand up to his older brother or sister or mother. And Hermione was _sick_ of holding her tongue, not letting them know what was on her mind, of letting everything slide because she was trying to do what was right for Tom. Well, Tom was nearly fourteen now, and Hermione deserved a little happiness to.

She'd thrown down her napkin in rather dramatic fashion, before returning home. She did deserve a little happiness in her life and well...she could be discrete. It wasn't too much of a jump for her to go and see the only man who'd made her heart race in a decade. Hermione wiped the tears from her face, hoping that her magicked makeup hadn't smeared too much, while she decided to go to Radalphus before she lost her nerve.

A toss of Floo powder, and she was sticking her head through to the Lestrange's home. "Radalphus?" She called, cautiously.

It was only a moment before she saw Radalphus sticking his head into the room that held the fireplace. "Hermione?" He asked clearly confused, but one look at his handsome visage and Hermione's worries already seemed a bit silly. "Come through, come through."

He took her hand, and helped her step through gracefully, before leading her wordlessly into his own, small library. It wasn't as grand as the library at Black Manor, but it was stuffed to the brim with worn texts, magical and muggle alike. Radalphus was settling her on the couch, before taking a set next to her, pressing a glass of firewhiskey into her hand. She drank greedily to help calm her nerves.

Radalphus raised a hand up, his thumb brushing away the evidence of a stray tear. "What's the matter, Hermione?"

"I am sorry for intruding on your holidays, I am sure you've company." Hermione said, suddenly realizing how irresponsible this was. His children were probably home for the holidays, and this was sure to answer all kinds of unnecessary questions.

"Mercedes and Edmond have elected to stay at Hogwarts this year. I imagine your son had something to do with it." He said with a smile. "Tell me what troubles you, ma mie."

Hermione felt herself melting into him, his scent filling her nose and making her heart ache. "I am tired of not being happy Radalphus. I hate Cygnus's family. They spent the whole evening berating me, and I am sick of it. I am tired of holding my tongue and it's time that I do something that makes me happy. Did you know that Cygnus has been having an affair with his daughter-in-law since before she married Pollux?"

Radalphus's breath hitched, as though he were surprised that _she_ knew it. "It is...not a well kept secret." He murmured. "I am sorry that he hurts you so."

"The worst of it is that I don't even care. I don't love Cygnus and I never have. He treats me like a brood mare, as though my only use to him is to produce him a child and…" Hermione trailed off, looking into Radalphus's warm eyes. "Whenever I am with _you_...I feel happy. You make me want...so _much_. I've never felt the way I do with you when I am with Cygnus and I just...I want more." It was hard for Hermione to put these thoughts into words, considering that she'd had them for so long, but wouldn't dream of acting on them. But ever since their kiss on the balcony at the ministry, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that...Radalphus might be the _one_ for her.

His eyes were swimming with lust and something more, an unnamed emotion that she didn't want to explore right now, not wanting to get her hopes up. "I can make you happy, Hermione." He said, his voice transformed into something more gravely by desire. He pressed his lips into her's in a firm kiss, nipping on her lower lip, before pulling away. "Let me make you happy."

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss, deepening it immediately, needing to be closer to him. She sighed into him, loving the way that he felt so _right_ to her. Before they could get too involved on the couch, Hermione felt the familiar feeling of side-along apparition, and they were falling into a modest bed, though the linens were luxurious and fine. Radalphus pulled away from her. "I hope you don't think I am too presumptuous."

Hermione shook her head, her fingers eager to get inside his robes, to have as much of his heated skin pressed against him. He chuckled, knowing what she wanted, and helped her to undo the buttons that wizards were always so fond of, pressing the fabric back, leaving his torso bare, down to his trousers. Her fingers were immediately drawn to the smattering of dark chest hair peppering his tan skin. She gave him a small smile, letting her fingers run down his chest and abdomen, enjoying the way he seemed to jump in nerves or anticipation when her hands finally met the fabric of his trousers.

Radalphus groaned, wrapping his strong arms around her so that he could loose the zipper of her dress, letting it fall down from her shoulders. His breath hitched at seeing her breasts revealed to him for the first time, her rosy nipples hardening from the cool air of his room. A cautious hand came up to cup her breast, his thumb brushing against the nipple back and forth, until Hermione could no longer hold off her moan.

Then, it was as though he was a man possessed. There was no time for slowness any longer, not when they were so desperate for one another. Radalphus pressed her back into the pillow, his tongue tangling with her's in a sensuous dance, while she shimmied out of her dress, and he worked on the buckle of his trousers. A lift of her hips, and he'd pulled down her knickers, leaving them in some unknown corner of the room.

Feeling bold, Hermione grasped his hard cock, gasping into him at the heat of him. She needed him inside of her, and now. Chuckling, Radalphus pressed himself against her cleft, rocking back and forth against her, spreading the her wetness over him. Hermione was whining with each nudge of his head against her clit, wanting to be filled by him.

Finally, then, he was grasping the base of his cock, and pressing himself into her, savoring each inch, until he was fully seated in her. Hermione gasped, and feeling how perfect he was inside of her, her mind even going so far as to suggest that they were made for one another. Bucking her hips, he started to move. There would be time for a slow love making later, but right now, they were both so eager to have one another _finally_ they were rather frantic, anticipation of climax already swimming. Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in closer, tighter to her, wishing that they could be joined this way forever.

Radalphus broke their kiss, pressing his face into the curve of her neck, french profanity whispered on his lips, that she felt _so good_ , that she was _so perfect_ , that she felt _so right_. Hermione was overcome with emotion, thinking that she had never been cherished in this way. Pressed together as they were, each movement of his hips was nudging her clit, and Hermione felt herself getting closer and closer and…

A cry of his name was ripped from her, keening and low, while she came around him in rhythmic undulations, her body pulsing with warmth, toes curling. He continued to pump into her, only a few times before he was following her, her name whispered into her skin, as he stilled inside of her.

Their breathing slowly returned to normal, but Radalphus did not leave from his spot on top of her, and Hermione relished the weight, letting her hands trace up and down his back. "I wish I could stay inside you forever, ma mie." He whispered, before slowly leaving her. He rolled on his back, pulling her to rest her head against his chest. "Please stay here tonight. Do not leave me so soon." She could hear the pleading edge to his words.

The sound of his request made Hermione's heart ache again. Did he really think that she would use him so? Sweep into his home and fuck him, only to slip away? Did he really think that it was only physical for her? It was...heart soaring to know that he seemed disappointed by the thought of her leaving. "I wouldn't dream of it." She said, letting her fingers play with his chest hair again.

Curled around him, listening to his steady heart beat, it didn't take long for Hermione to drift off into dreamland.

* * *

 **December 20th, 1940**

Hermione was delighted to be woken up by Radalphus kissing his way down her stomach, stopping just above her sex. "No regrets?" He asked, grinning up at her, perhaps knowing what seeing him like that was doing to her body. Her body tingled in anticipation, knowing it had been many years since she'd enjoyed the pleasure of oral sex.

Cygnus wasn't know for being giving, if he didn't get something in return.

"Never." She whispered, pressing her hands into her face, unable to keep his eye contact when his tongue made contact with her wet flesh. He lapped against her, sending her higher and higher, chasing towards pleasure. It was only a matter of time before he was holding down her hips, sucking her clit through her orgasm while she writhed against him. Once she was recovered, Radalphus pulled Hermione up to straddle him, her hands braced on his shoulders, joining them once again. She certainly wasn't used to having sex in this position, but she enjoyed the control it gave her. Rocking back and forth, she loved the way Radalphus's hands looked on her hips, guiding her through the moment. She loved it almost as much as she loved the way Radalphus's face contorted when she rotated her hips _just so_.

It didn't take long until they were coming together, Hermione collapsing into his chest for a few more moments of bliss.

Hermione never wanted to leave the comfort of his embrace, but she knew that she couldn't avoid Cygnus forever. Once she was adequately dressed, Radalphus walked her back to the floo and kissed her once on the lips, his hands coming up to cup her face. "I will always try to make you happy, Hermione."

It was obvious that neither one of them wanted to be separated, especially not after reaching this new stage in their relationship, but both of them knew that Hermione _Black_ could not just fall off the map, no matter how much she wanted. One lingering kiss, and a promise that this was not the end, Hermione returned to Black Manor, before apparating into her bathroom.

She quickly stepped into the shower, loathing to wash the scent of Radalphus from her skin so soon, but knew it was necessary. While she was shampooing her hair, she thought on her feelings. Hermione was slightly surprised that she didn't feel even an ounce of guilt for going behind Cygnus's back. This only confirmed what she already knew - her relationship with Cygnus had been dead for many years...it might have never even been alive. And if Cygnus was going to carry on with Irma, well...she didn't see why she couldn't have a little something too.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she got dressed in her closet, only to be surprised by her husband when he walked into the en suite. "Hermione!" He said surprised. "Where have you been? You never came to bed last night."

She couldn't stop the snort from coming from her. "Really? You think after the way you let _your_ family treat me, that I would want to share a bed with you?" She asked, feeling critical. She hadn't forgotten the hurt that she felt at her reproductive status being brought into question _again_ as though it were any of their business. She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see her husband really showing his age for a change - had he been kept up from the guilt? "I slept in a guest room."

"I looked for you." Cygnus said quietly, his eyes trailing over Hermione's body, making her feel a bit icky.

"I _didn't_ want to be found." Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest as a shield. Cygnus had seen her impressive warding magic once before several times, and so she had no doubt that he knew if she didn't want to found, she wouldn't be found. "I didn't want to see you."

Cygnus gave her a jerky nod, but did not say anything, did not even apologize. In her mind, she wondered if he even had an inkling that she had spent the night in the arms of another man, another man who made her happier than Cygnus could ever hope to make her. She hadn't been so physically satisfied in years. She wasn't sure how to deal with the complete level of apathy that she felt towards her husband, and she wondered how stupid she must have been to be manipulated by him so many years ago. But then, she remembered how desperate and helpless she felt when she was with a little two year old Tommy.

"If that's all." Hermione said, looking up at him with disdain on her face. "I will be in the library with Seamus." She left her husband standing alone, unsurprised that he didn't try to patch things up with her.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so pleased that last chapter went over well...I wasn't sure what you all were going to make of Hermione's decision, but I think we all realize that her and Cygnus's relationship never really existed. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and story updates.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-five and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-six soon!

* * *

 **January 3rd, 1941**

Tom had made the decision to stay at Hogwarts, wanting to get to the bottom of the snake that he was hearing in the halls. Over the holidays was the perfect time to get some real effort done, especially since most people would be out of the castle. It wouldn't do to be caught _hissing_ at a wall by one of his classmates, especially when he was not ready to reveal his secret talent to others.

He'd written to his mum and told her that he wanted to focus on his midterms exams, seeing as he was taking several new elective classes this year, and she'd written him back to let him know that she understood completely.

The only snag to the equation was that Edmond, hearing that he was staying behind, had decided that he was going to stay behind as well, and that meant that Mercedes was staying behind as well. He couldn't stand his best friend's little sister. She was always going off as if she knew _everything_ , but in an argumentative way. Like she always thought that he was wrong, when he _knew_ that he was right about things.

Still, he'd managed to get away every now and again, listening for the snake. He'd spoken with Slither about the other snake in the walls, but she hadn't been able to track it down _yet_. She could confirm that it was some kind of snake though, and he wasn't going mad, imagining a voice in the walls. It revealed itself to him at the most inconvenient times, and so far he hadn't been able to track it anywhere _meaningful_. It seemed to appear wherever it wanted, and he could sense no pattern as far as he was concerned.

He was tempted to ask Professor Slughorn for any kind of...blueprints or construction reports, but he was certain that in the time of the Founders, they weren't expect records managers. And, he was positive that wanting to know about the castle construction would be an eyebrow raiser, even for the portly Potions Master, who would usually tell Tom anything he liked.

Tom was determined not to give up on the mysterious snake, though. He just might need to change his tactics. He had four more years of school, after all, so it wasn't as though he wasn't going to figure it out before he graduated.

Just because his search was fruitless didn't mean that the holiday hadn't been completely worthless. His mum had sent him an assortment of books on all different varieties of topics, as well as chocolates from Diagon Alley. Dorea had sent him a book as well. At first, he thought it was going to be another book on dragons - something that he'd outgrown and thought was a little bit childish, actually - but to his delight he found that it was a book on snakes from all over the world. He'd raised his eyebrow, and been pleasantly surprised with his stepsister, his mouth quirking.

He was trying to read the book in the library - Edmond had insisted they go there because Mercedes didn't like coming to the Slytherin common room - and they had transfigured some chairs into couches to push next to the fire. They were rather hard, as the transfiguration was not quite as good as they would have hoped.

It was nearly impossible to read though, seeing as Mercedes had brought her Hufflepuff friend - second year Melanie St. Martin - along, and wherever Louisa went, irritating fourth year Hufflepuff Jeremy Fitzgerald followed. Tom actually didn't mind Melanie that much. She was rather quiet and shy, though she could get quite animated about Charms. A half-blood, she had soft brown curls and bright brown eyes, but she always looked polished and behaved in a well mannered way. Not unlike himself, Tom thought, though it was obvious that she didn't have the hidden edge that he had.

He watched, his face a stoic mask, as Jeremy seemed to think it was a brilliant idea to try and tickle Melanie, even while she wriggled away, a bright blush on her cheeks. "Jez! Stop it! I don't like that." She huffed, trying to right her uniform.

"Aw, come off it Melanie - you know it's just a bit of fun." Jeremy said, before lunging at her again, laughing in that annoying way of his.

Tom wasn't really sure how it had happened, but he had his wand in his hand and pointed in the older boy's direction. "Fitzgerald. She asked you to stop." He said, evenly, disdain clearly bleeding through in his tone. Fitzgerald was a worm, as far as he was concerned.

The other boy looked aghast, but stopped his torment anyway. He sneered Tom's way. "Whatever, Riddle. You're just trying to be a _hero_ so that a girl would actually look twice at you. What, are you sweet on Melanie?"

Tom didn't say anything, and kept his wand firmly in his grasp, though he could feel a blush creeping up his neck. Seeing that he wasn't backing down, Jeremy gave a tough little laugh, trying to save face, before turning and leaving. Once the menace was gone, Tom sat back down and picked up his book again.

To his surprise he felt Melanie's hand on his arm. She looked at him with big, brown doe eyes. "Thank you, Tommy." She said, a little smile on her face.

Jeremy's words around being sweet on Melanie came back to his mind and Tom felt a surge of embarrassment. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because I was tired of how loud he was being." He said, needing to keep the attention _off_ of him. Instead of being understanding though, Melanie's lower lip began to quiver and before long, she'd started to sniffle and cry, running out of the library as well.

Tom was feeling a bit confused, if he was being honest, but he was even more confused when Mercedes sneered at him. "Ugh, you _ruin everything_." She complained before running off after her friend.

Looking over at Edmond, Tom felt as though he didn't understand anything that had just happened. "You know what Fitzgerald said isn't true, right? About getting a girl to like you." Edmond said in a rush. "I've heard that Gemma Rowle as a crush on you." Groaning, Tom pressed his face into his hands. Gemma was one of Wally's awful friends, and she was always quick to add in some mean little comment about him whenever Wally and he would fight. "So do you...you know, like Melanie?"

Tom scrunched his nose up and felt his heart beat a little faster. "I think that Melanie is a fine person to be around." He settled on finally. He hadn't really thought about...dating a girl. He had far too much going on his life as it was. He didn't have _time_ for girls or all the confusing emotions that they made you feel. He _hated_ feeling emotional. "Why, do you like someone?"

Edmond's cheeks lit up brighter than a streetlight. "Henrietta Flint." He whispered, which Tom thought was a bit dramatic. Etta was in their year, and as far as girls went, she was considered quite pretty, with huge blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. But, Tom found her to be kind of boring as well. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Edmond asked.

Feeling a bit of pride that his friend would trust him so much, Tom nodded eagerly. "I promise." He vowed solemnly, taking it very seriously. It was nice to have such a good friend that could keep such confidences with him.

* * *

 **February 17th, 1941**

Hermione had taken the muggle train down to Brighton before re entering the wizarding community there. Dressed very plainly - trying as well as possible to be incognito - she walked into the little seaside pub.

Radalphus had selected this place because you could pay for privacy, and it had the benefit of rooms you could reserve above the pub. Ever since their encounter before Christmas, they had continued to see each other with increasing frequency, unable to stay away or keep their hands off one another. Normally they would meet at Radalphus's home, but seeing as the Valentine's Day holiday was had just happened, they wanted to do something that would feel a bit special, seeing as they couldn't spend the actually holiday with each other.

When she got inside the pub, she pulled her cloak's hood back, looking around the room until she spotted Radalphus in a back booth, with a single lit candle in the middle of the table even though it was the middle of the day. He stood when he saw her, wrapping her up in his arms, pressing a kiss to her lips, with promises of what was yet to come.

"Did you have any trouble getting away?" Radalphus asked her quietly. Although Cygnus didn't care if others knew that he was still carrying on with Irma, Radalphus had agreed that it was best if they stay as discrete as possible if they were to continue seeing one another.

"Cygnus doesn't know what I do the majority of the time." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "I took the train down here." She revealed, knowing that Radalphus would always get a kick about hearing about the muggle things she did in quiet rebellion.

As soon as he'd ascertained that she had no issues getting there, Radalphus produced for her a single pale pink rose, which she gladly accepted, pressing her nose into soft petals. Later, she would press it between a favorite book and keep it forever. Radalphus was surprisingly romantic, from what she learned. He wrote her little notes - always in French - but exquisite in their language and sentiment. He gave her tokens of his affection, and never grew tired of her, happy to discuss and debate a variety of topics.

They spent their lunch hour discussing house elves whilst sharing a roast chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots, and a bottle of red wine. It was simple, and lovely, and by the end of it Hermione was aching for him. He'd done nothing but sit there, mirth in his dark eyes, his voice flowing over her like a caress, and his hand holding her's under the table.

Hermione didn't care what the barkeep thought of them when they made their way up the stairs to their rented room, concerned only with having his lips on hers and his skin pressed against her. The room was small, but the window had a beautiful view of the shimmering sea. She stood there, looking out as the waves rolled in, lost in her thoughts.

Radalphus came up behind her, pressing himself against her, and his lips to the side of her neck, kissing a trail up to her ear. He caught her earlobe, giving it a gentle nip, making her moan low in her throat. "I have something for you." He whispered, before opening his palm to reveal a tiny box.

She could feel her heart beating wildly against her rib cage, in anticipation for what she would find in the velvet. Opening it cautiously, she was surprised to find a set of earrings, tiny rubies glimmering in the dim light of the room. "Radalphus, they are beautiful." She said, turning in his arms so that she could look up at him. "Thank you." She said, eagerly removing them from the box and putting them into her ears. It was odd, in a way, how much more she loved these than any piece of jewelry Cygnus had ever given her. He'd always been so preoccupied with what _other_ people would think of it, as though she were only a mannequin to display his wealth. But these were beautiful, and understated, and _her_.

He tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing the little gems, and Hermione couldn't help but grin seeing the slow smile that came across his face. "You are so beautiful, ma mie. I am a lucky man to have secured your affections."

She felt her belly flip flop in that way that only Radalphus seemed able to cause, wondering just how she'd gotten a man such as him to be interested in her. After all, she came with so much baggage. She didn't have much time to think on it, before he was leaning down, cupping her face gently in his hand, and pressing a kiss to her lips, slow and deliberate.

She opened herself to him, pressing back on his shoulders to guide him to the bed, while she pressed her tongue into his mouth, not battling for dominance, but rather, a slow dance of give and take and mutual satisfaction.

They laid on the bed for a while, just kissing one another, while hands ran up and down clothed bodies, until Hermione finally got too impatient and began unbuttoning his shirt, needed to feel his warmth. Radalphus was always warm, and sometimes when he held her in the afters it felt like he was searing her, but she would never pull away.

Finally, he got annoyed with the slow pace of divesting each other by hand and mumbled a spell to remove their clothes, leaving them in a heap next to their bed. They had only been seeing each other for a short while, but already, Radalphus knew all of the places on her body that she loved to have kissed and caressed.

They had both been longing for this, to be joined so intimately, that Hermione was eager to have him inside of her, pressing her hips into his, until he reached between them to enter her. He moved slowly, taking his time, his eyes cataloging each and every moan and sigh that he managed to pull from her lips. He took his time making love to her, loving the way that they moved together, two pieces of the same puzzle, finding purpose in each other.

As he got closer, his thrusts sped up, becoming more and more erratic and having Radalphus lose control with her was intoxicating. She came undone around him, walls pulsing in time with him, pulling him over the edge with her.

As always, he pulled her against his chest while they came down from the high, and Hermione let her fingers toy with his chest hair. When she started this affair, she'd just wanted to get a little joy or pleasure out of life, but she never would have imagined how much her feelings had grown. She was certain she'd been falling for Radalphus long before they consummated their relationship, but now she knew that she was in deep.

* * *

 **April 3rd, 1941**

Hermione sat in a chair across the desk from Headmaster Dippet at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, waiting on a house elf to bring the tea that the Headmaster had ordered, despite her declining a service. Tom sat next to her, his head hanging low, his face expressionless. Dumbledore stood in the corner of the room, staring at her, and she found only say that she now found his blue eyes unnerving.

Finally, the elf returned with the tea, and Hermione took an offered cup even though she promptly set it aside. When she'd been summoned to the school to discuss Tom's _behavior_ , she hadn't been able to settle her nerves. Merlin, she wanted to shout at this incompetent old _fool_ Dippet to just spit it out already. Unfortunately, being Madame Black, she was held to different social standards. "Can you please tell me why you called me here today? Is Tom in some kind of trouble?"

Tom's head shot up next to her's and he looked at her with fire brewing in his eyes. So obviously, whatever happened, he didn't agree with the school officials.

Dippet gave her a little smile. "Well, Madame Black, we do have a bit of an issue in that Tom here hexed a fellow classmate, quite badly, I might add. The boy is still in the hospital wing, as some of the jinxes will take time to wear off." How could he say all that in such a serene way? As though he were discussing the weather.

Hermione turned to her son, wanting to hear how it happened from him. "Tom, is this true? Did you hex a classmate of yours?" She asked, waiting for him to make eye contact with her. Tom trusted her, and she was positive that he would tell her the truth of what had happened.

"Well, yes, but I was only trying to get-" Tom was cut off by Dumbledore before he could even get a sentence out.

"If I may, Madame Black, perhaps I can give you an understand of what happened." Dumbledore said, giving her a kindly smile, as though he were just some kindly grandfather. Well, that act wouldn't fool her. She'd had many years to think about what Dumbledore had done, raising Harry to be slaughtered like an animal, and leaving them with no _real_ plan.

Turning to the Headmaster, Hermione completely ignored Dumbledore. "What is _he_ doing here? He isn't my son's Head of House, so I fail to see why he should be involved in the discussion." She said sharply. They might think she was some little meek, pureblood wife, but she was much more strong willed than that.

Dippet seemed to be immediately taken aback by her tone, and fell over himself to make her feel more comfortable. "Well, Professor Dumbledore here witnessed the altercation. So, although he is not Mister Riddle's Head of House, we thought it prudent for him to be here."

Dumbledore jumped in again. "As I was saying, Mister Riddle here hexed a Mister Fitzgerald here in a rather vicious fashion, even using two hexes that I dare say border on darker magic. It was a bit concerning and that's why we wanted to bring you in, to inform you of what your son was doing."

Hermione turned to Tom and looked at him again. "Tom, is that what happened?" She asked, trusting Tommy's words far more than Dumbledore's.

Tom's jaw set, a mannerism that he had obviously picked up from her. "Well, yes, I did hex Fitzgerald, but only because he wouldn't leave Melanie - that is Miss St. Martin - alone. She's repeatedly asked him to stop touching her and he won't and he thinks that because he is a fourth year and she is a second year that he can get away with it." Tom gave her a remorseful look, likely embarrassed that she had to be called into the school to discuss behavior issues. "I will admit that I did lose my temper, but I was only trying to help out Miss St. Martin."

She turned to look at the two other men, one eyebrow raised in concern. "It sounds as though my son was only trying to defend another student. While I agree that dueling in hallways is not acceptable, it seems as though he should not be punished so harshly seeing as he was only trying to help out a classmate."

Again, Dippet managed to fall over himself in his rush to appease her. Hermione hated and loved the way that being a member of an influential family could help you get what you wanted. She wondered if this was how Draco Malfoy had gotten out of so much while they were at school. "Why yes, of course, if Miss St. Martin can corroborate your son's story, we will reduce his discipline by half. That would be 25 points from Slytherin and a week's worth of detention, to be served with Professor Slughorn, Mister Riddle."

Hermione rewarded the doddering old man with a grin. "I think that sounds appropriate." Hermione said, glad that she was there to stand in her son's corner. She wondered if anything else similar had happened before. Dumbledore looked as though he was going to protest, so she imagined it had. "What will happen to the other boy? If he has been harassing female students, surely he should be punished as well."

"We will certainly look into it Madame Black. I am sure that if Miss St. Martin's story matches your son's, young Mister Fitzgerald will also serve some detention." Dippet said, his mood lifting now that everything was resolved. "Well, thank you so much for coming in today. I am so sorry it was over such unfortunate business."

Tom stood and walked Hermione over to the fireplace where she would be flooing home. She hugged him tightly, proud of his actions, but disappointed in his methods. "We _will_ be talking about this at home, Tom." She whispered in promise. She was a bit disturbed to hear that he was using darker hexes and wanted to get to the bottom of it. "I love you. See you in a few weeks, and don't forget to write."

Her son pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I will mum. See you soon."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I love seeing where all of your minds are going as you read these chapters. I am so excited to reveal more and more to come as it goes on. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and post story updates.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-six and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-seven soon!

* * *

 **June 15th, 1941**

Hermione had been excited to have Tom home for the summer, and eagerly went to pick him up from the train station, Cygnus opting to stay at home. She saw Radalphus and the two of them shared a secret smile, while he picked up his two children, his daughter already speaking rapidly about her first year of school, though neither one of them betrayed that there might be more to their relationship than what was acceptable.

She was eager to get Tom home, and once he had unpacked his trunk, Hermione invited him to join her for a walk about the grounds. She waited with Seamus for him at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't have to wait long until she heard his heavy feet stomping down the creaking steps.

"Let me get a proper look at you." Hermione said, leaning back from him. "I can't believe you are so tall now, Tom. It's a matter of time before you will be taller than Cygnus even." She said with a smile. It seemed as though he'd gone through a growth spurt over the school year, and now she felt as though he were towering over her. He now nearly resembled the boy from Harry's memories of the Chamber of Secrets with his perfectly coiffed, side-parted hair, and handsome face, though he was still a boy.

While he was tall, he was awfully gangly looking at this point, as though he had been stretched up, but he hadn't quite filled out at this point, though Hermione knew that it was only a matter of time. She didn't _see_ a hint of wispy mustache that boys tended to get at this age, though it probably wouldn't hurt to have Cygnus talk to him about shaving. His voice was changing, and it broke frequently, to his embarrassment. Hermione would have to hide her laughter behind her hand, thinking about the fact that the potential _Dark Lord_ went through puberty just like everyone else. It didn't exactly inspire fear.

"Ah, yes about that." Tom said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "We might need to get me some new uniforms. I've been lengthening my pant legs all year, but well...that's mostly a temporary fix."

She wrapped her an arm around his shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze. A sick feeling settled into her stomach when she wondered if anyone had thought to buy him a new uniform when he'd been Tom Riddle the orphan. "Of course we will get you a new uniform, you silly boy." She led him outside, and Seamus ran ahead on the path, picking up a rather large branch to carry as a stick. "Now, you know we have to talk about what happened at school this year...Dumbledore said you were using dark hexes. Where did you learn those, Tom?"

He kicked a rock ahead, and pursed his lips. "Dumbledore is overly sensitive I think. It was just a hex from a book I read here at the library." Tom turned to look at her, gauging her reaction. "It was nothing serious, I assure you. Just a few boils."

Hermione bit her lower lip, thinking of the time that she'd cursed Marietta Edgecomb with boils across her forehead and how it had permanently scared. Even worse, she thought about how she still didn't feel even a little bit badly about it. "I don't know, Tom. I don't like the thought of you looking up dark curses or spells. That kind of magic can leave a mark on your soul."

"Mother." Tom whined in a slightly uncharacteristic way. "I promise you that I am only interested in them academically. You know once I get a whiff of something that I can't let it go." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I get my curiosity from you. Dumbledore is determined to stamp it out of me."

She felt disconcerted by his statement. She didn't like the growing curiosity that Dumbledore had with her son. Again, she wondered what it had been like for Tom Riddle the first time around. She knew that Dumbledore had always been mistrustful, but he clearly seemed to be actively antagonistic to Tom this go round. "Tom, has Dumbledore been treating you poorly? You know that you can tell me if you are having _any_ issues at school?"

Tom nodded gratefully. "Of course mother. I am not sure that Dumbledore dislikes me more than any individual Slytherin, but he does seem to keep a close watch. I will be sure to tell you if I have any further issues." He pulled back, looking at her sideways, trying to read her face. "Did you know that Dumbledore used to be _friends_ with Grindelwald?"

Hermione worried her lower lip between her teeth, knowing that she _shouldn't_ know that, even though she did. She was curious about where Tom had learned it, but perhaps it wasn't such a well guarded secret in this time. "I did not know that." She finally settled on, before changing the subject to lighter topics. "So tell me about this Miss St. Martin girl."

"She's one of Mercedes friends." Tom said, and she could notice a slight flush on his neck. "She's in Hufflepuff, but is pretty quiet and shy. I just don't like that Fitzgerald wouldn't leave her alone." He looked up at the sky, as though he were deep in thought. "Now, Edmond is convinced that I _like_ her...which, I don't mind having her around, but..."

The brunette witch had a feeling that Tom liked her quite a bit more than he was admitting to. She found it rather precious that he'd gone so far as to protect the girl, but she didn't want to push him too hard. Hermione was glad that Tom was already so open with her, that she didn't want to betray the trust he'd placed in her. And well, boys his age could have _some_ secrets from their mothers, including which girls they liked.

"Enough about me, mum." Tom said, slinging an arm around her shoulders this time. "You look radiant - very happy. What's changed?"

Hermione's lips quirked in a smile, though she didn't think he'd noticed. She, of course, knew the answer to that question, but she couldn't very well tell her son that she was having an affair with his best mate's father. "Well, I'd gotten rather lonely without you at home most of the year. I think having Seamus here has helped me. We go for a lot of walks, so perhaps the exercise helps as well."

Tom snorted next to her, clearly not believing what she said. "I've been replaced by a dog." He muttered to himself.

"Hey, it's not just that." Hermione added. "I've been doing a lot of research lately as well. I've even dabbled a bit in spell creation, though, I am not that good at it." She felt it was important to show Tom that _everyone_ had their weaknesses, not wanting him to put her up on some pedestal.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what he'd done. "Nonsense, mum. You, not being good at something? That's rubbish." He said, though he was incredibly intrigued by her research. They spent the rest of the walk discussing all the different things that she'd tried so far, and he'd even extracted a promise from her that she would teach him the _muffliato_ spell, though she did feel terrible knowing that it wasn't her that had created the spell, rather, Severus Snape would.

Thinking about time like that always made her head ache though, and so she tried not to think on it too hard. After all, she'd already caused significant changes to the timeline, coming into Tom's life.

* * *

 **August 3rd, 1941**

She wasn't sure what it was in her that had made her want to visit Marius's adoptive parents. Perhaps it was some kind of maternal instinct that filled her for the boy that she'd wanted to keep safe, or just some premonition, but she found herself hustling into to London to take the train to Birmingham, transfiguring her robes into a somber muggle dress, wanting to attract as little attention as possible.

Dread seemed to fill her belly the closer that she got to the industrial city, and she hurried to the Milners house. It was a four-story row house, sandwiched in a block of identical houses, all red brick, but growing dark with soot as the years went on. So far, it seemed as though they didn't have any damage from the war - Hermione seemed to recall that it was quite a target for the Germans do to the city's industrial contributions to the war effort.

Straightening her outfit, she stood at their front door, hand raised to knock on the door, wondering if perhaps this was a terrible idea. What if the Milners reacted poorly to her showing up out of the blue like this? Knowing that she wouldn't feel better until she knew that Marius was okay...or, as well as he could be, seeing as he was a soldier, she pounded on the door several times, waiting patiently for it to open.

Mrs. Milner was the one to open it. "Mrs. Black, what a surprise." She said, though Hermione immediately noticed her red rimmed eyes, as though she'd been crying.

"I am so sorry to show up unannounced, but...I had a bad feeling about Marius. Is...everything okay?" She asked cautiously.

Mr. Milner came up behind his wife, and pressed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid that Marius was injured in the fighting. He's been moved back here to recover. We were just about to go to the hospital if you wanted to join us."

Hermione gasped at hearing the news. She was incredibly grateful to be extended an invitation, when she really had no connection to Marius any longer, but she was glad that the Milners weren't trying to cut her out of his life. Especially when it was something so terrible as him being injured. Her mind was whirling with possibilities the whole walk to the hospital. Hermione wished that she could just apparate to get their quicker, but she knew that the Milners were unaware of magic and so it wasn't a wise decision.

Though she was anxious to see Marius, she told the Milners that they should go in and see him first, on their own, and she would only go in if he was up for visitors. Sitting in the stark white hospital, she felt the first prickles of tears forming in her eyes, guilt welling up in her as she realized that it was _her_ failure to protect him that had caused all of this. If only she never would have let Cygnus send him away, none of this would have ever happened.

The sound of quick strides, pacing down the hallway, had her looking up, and Hermione was both shocked and horrified to see Cygnus coming towards her. "Hermione, what is the meaning of this?" He asked, his voice measured and firm, but still, she could sense the ire in his voice. "Sneaking away from the manor, to what, come here to the _muggle_ world?"

She looked up at him defiantly. "I am here to visit _your_ son, Cygnus." Hermione said, letting him see the tears in her eyes. She watched in satisfaction as he seemed to rethink his words at seeing the state of emotional distress she was currently in.

Before it could be discussed any further, the Milners were making their way back out of the hospital room. "Hermione, you can go in, he was asking for you. Oh my!" Mrs. Milner's attention was caught by the blond man standing with Hermione, a man they had never met before. "And just who are you sir?" She asked, affronted, but able to see the resemblance between her adopted son and him.

Cygnus didn't answer the older woman, instead pressing past her into the room she had just vacated. Hermione hurried after, wanting to mediate the meeting between father and son, who hadn't seen each other for over a decade. But when got in, she saw Cygnus standing there, completely dumbfounded, his face soft.

Marius was laid on the bed, with a bandage spanning the right side of his face, including his eye. He didn't _appear_ to be in any pain, but Hermione was positive that he probably was. His grey eye was locked on Cygnus. "Father?" He asked cautiously, and Hermione was sure that it was a bit of a shock to come face to face with the man who'd disowned him, who said that he would never see him again.

Hermione went to Marius's side, grabbing his hand tightly in hers. "I'm sorry. He followed me here. I just knew that you were hurt though, and I had to make sure you were okay." Marius squeezed her hand back and tried to give her a smile, though it was difficult with the bandages. The room was quiet, except for the steady pulse of the heart rate monitor, beeping along in time with Marius's heart.

Cygnus looked unsteady on his feet. "What happened to him?" He asked, looking more at Hermione than his son, as though he wasn't able to force himself to speak to the man. A lot of time had past, and they were strangers now.

Marius answered for her. "I was fighting in a war. The muggles have a substance...called mustard gas. I've come into contact with some. My face is burned and...I can't see out of this eye, but they are confident I will regain my sight after a few weeks of treatment." He was rather matter of fact about it all, as though he'd already come to terms with his injuries and he was no longer emotional about it.

His father sat down heavily, next to Hermione, running has hand over his face. Hermione was sure that this was a possibility that Cygnus had never considered for his disowned son. "Is there anything we can do...with magic?" He asked cautiously. This was odd, Hermione thought. In the last ten years, she hadn't heard Cygnus even speak of Marius once, but he was still so concerned about him. Perhaps it was something that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

Marius shook his head. "No, I'm a muggle now too, and it would raise too many questions if all my injuries were suddenly gone. Besides, I've gotten used to not relying on it." Hermione could hear some thickness in his voice, and realized that this very emotional confrontation had been a long time coming. A chance to give both Cygnus and Marius some closure from what happened - because they could never go back to a time before Cygnus had done what he'd done, but he was fine without him.

"I am so glad that you will make a recovery, Marius." Hermione said quietly next to him, not wanting to overstay her welcome, and sensing that Cygnus had a lot on his mind that he was going to need to work through. "We will leave you to rest."

Grabbing Cygnus by the hand, she led him from the room, sensing that her husband was a bit confused. She said goodbye to the Milners, but did not miss the upset look that they gave Cygnus for barging into their lives, especially to see the son he gave away at age eleven. She pulled him into the first stairwell that she could find and apparated them back to Black Manor, to their room, and encouraged Cygnus to sit down on the bed.

"I followed you...I followed you, and you'd just been to visit my son." He said, murmuring the same thing over and over again. She supposed it was a good thing that he was referring to Marius _as_ his son. She wondered what he expected to find her doing. "How long have you been visiting him?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Since you sent him away. I couldn't just leave him in the muggle world without knowing that he was doing okay." She looked out the window, eyebrows knitted together. "I had higher hopes for him. He was training to become a chef before he had to fight in the war."

Cygnus looked at her, hurt on his face. "You've never forgiven me for sending him away." He said simply, knowing that it was the truth. There was no denying it, and Hermione didn't try to correct him, just let his words hang between them. It was true of course, as Hermione didn't understand how he could do that to his own flesh and blood. Leaving him to his thoughts, Hermione apparated to the library.

* * *

 **October 9th, 1941**

It was almost too easy to get a pass to the Restricted Section of the library from Professor Slughorn. Tom wanted to roll his eyes that his Head of House _actually_ thought that Tom wanted to look something up for a Transfiguration essay - academic interest, purely - and that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't understand his reasoning. The old man was only too eager to gobble up and hint that his best and brightest student looked to him as someone he could come to when he couldn't go to anyone else. That someone trusted him.

The pass lasted for a week, and Tom took his time perusing all of the books on the shelves, finding most of them laughably benign. Honestly, they had most of these in the library back at the Manor, and he wondered just why they'd been put in this part of the library anyway. There were a few interesting tomes, with some creative curses, but it wasn't exactly what he was looking for.

He stumbled upon a rectangular leather journal and was impressed by the thickness of it. The front of the journal had a name written in a peculiar text, that Tom quickly realized was _written_ parseltongue. He'd never thought about trying to write anything in the snake language that he happened to speak, so it was quite a treat for him to even recognize it.

This was the journal of Salazar Slytherin.

Eager, he tried to open the book only to find that it had some kind of sticking spell on it. Mentally, he was pleased to learn that his ancestor was as fastidious about his privacy as Tom was. It wouldn't do to have just anyone read your innermost thoughts. He stood there, staring at it for a moment, before the answer came to him. It was obvious really.

" _Open._ " He hissed in parseltongue, feeling wonder run through him when he sensed a release of magic in the book, and he was able to open it easily. All the pages were written in parseltongue as well, and Tom wondered if _anyone_ had ever found the secret of Salazar Slytherin's journal out before him. Was he the first person to lay eyes on what was written inside?

Tom looked around the library, cautiously, wanting to make sure that no one was watching him before he placed the diary into his bag. If his instincts were correct - and they usually were - no one would notice the absence of the book, because no one had ever figured out what it was before. Only he would have the key to the innermost thoughts of Salazar Slytherin.

He felt giddiness and joy swoop through him, his steps feeling featherlight the whole way back to the dorms. He couldn't wait to read what kind of insights that Slytherin might have, what kind of secrets he knew about the castle. He was sure that he was going to be very busy for the next few days, absorbing all the hidden pieces of knowledge that lay within the book.

And this journal, this journal would be _exactly_ the kind of proof that Tom needed to keep the other boys in line. This, he was sure, _proved_ that he was a direct heir of Salazar Slytherin himself.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I loved reading your reactions to last chapter, and I am sure this chapter is going to have some really big reactions as well! I can't wait to hear what you think. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Next week starts Marcus May, a time to focus on posting Marcus Flint centric fics during the month of May. I will be posting some of my recommendations over on tumblr as well as posting a long one-shot, multi-chapter and a follow up drabble in Bits and Pieces, so I hope that you will check those out.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-seven and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-eight soon!

* * *

 **November 12th, 1941**

Tom Riddle was surprised to find himself waking up excited for a change. There were few things that he _actually_ got excited about - finding the emotion a little bit useless for a wizard of his caliber - but today was another Hogsmeade visit. All last year, he'd enjoyed that the other boys in Slytherin seemed to look to him for permission of how they could spend their free day in the wizarding village. It had been good to be looked to as a kind of leader within the house.

But, he had been excited to learn that the younger boys now were all hoping to be invited along with the others to have a butterbeer with Tom Riddle. He waltzed into the Great Hall that morning, a spring in his step, flanked by Edmond. "What's got you so happy today?" Edmond asked, easily reading his friend.

"Can't you believe that I just _enjoy_ Hogsmeade weekends?" He asked, unable to hide his smirk. They settled down at the table and Tom stared at all the third year boys who seemed to be crowding around his usual spot. He let his eyes trail over them all, slowly, not hiding that he was evaluating all of them. Each one of them looked so _hopeful_. In actuality, Tom knew who he was going to invite all along. Alfred Nott and Reginald Carrow were the only third year boys who had shown any kind of promise so far. "Alfie, Reggie, some of us boys have started a little tradition of getting a drink at the Hog's Head. Care to join us?" He asked, raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

The boys brightened immediately, throwing smug smiles at the other disappointed third years. "Yes, that would be great Riddle." Alfie said firmly.

"Excellent. We'll see you there at about...two o'clock?" Tom said before digging into his breakfast. He wondered if it was wrong to be this excited about his new found power over the other Slytherin boys, but then he saw the sour look on Abraxas's face, and he found he didn't really care.

* * *

 **December 27th, 1941**

Hermione sat with Flavia out in the enchanted garden on their usual tea spot. Even though snow was tumbling down outside, great fat snowflakes, they were cozy and warm in the greenery. She and Flavia had a standing meeting, and even a massive dinner with the entire Black family was not going to put it off, and she'd told Cygnus just as much. She would have plenty of time to get ready for another night with her insufferable in-laws when she returned.

Blowing on her peppermint tea until it cooled enough to drink, she looked up at Flavia, who was staring at her with intense interest, Mina resting on her lap. "Hermione, why are you drinking peppermint tea? You never drink peppermint tea."

Hermione blushed, wondering when her friend had gotten quite so observant. "Well, I've been having a bit of trouble keeping things down lately, but, I am sure it will go away...it's just a little bug, I am sure and it will go away soon, but right now peppermint tea is the only thing that will settle my stomach."

Flavia cocked her head to the side looking at Hermione before a smirk made her way across her face. "You're pregnant." Her friend said, smiling. "Hermione, you're pregnant!" Flavia nearly squealed. "Oh, this is so wonderful, I was going to tell you that Gareth and I are expecting again, but now we will finally be having a baby at the same time! I'm so thrilled."

As soon as she heard the word pregnant, Hermione felt her head swimming as she thought of the implications. Pregnant...could she really be pregnant? She tried to think back to when her last period was, and she realized that, perhaps it had been missing for...a while now. But if she was really pregnant that she meant...the child would be Radalphus's.

Merlin, she had been so stupid...gotten so confident and comfortable knowing that Cygnus was infertile that she hadn't really thought at all about contraceptives when he was with Radalphus. Really, it was a surprise that it had hadn't happened sooner. She felt tears form in her eyes, when the reality of it came crashing down around her. Yes, she and Radalphus were in a relationship of sorts, but they had never talked about the possibility of children...did he even want any children? Of course, if he didn't, she would still raise the baby on her own, but it would be a painful end to a delightful romance.

Flavia moved around the table until she was next to Hermione wrapping an arm around her. "Hey, Hermione, it's okay. This is wonderful, I know you've been waiting for so long. You must go tell Cygnus, he will be so pleased."

Hermione groaned, she hadn't even thought about what Cygnus's reaction would be, leaving him out of the equation entirely. "Flavia, I am so sorry, but I have to go." Hermione said, needing to get back to her home. She had so many things that she needed to do, and really, she knew that she did have to go tell Cygnus. No matter how much she hated it, he was a convenient cover for the pregnancy and everyone would think that the child was his. She needed to tell him, but she needed to tell Radalphus too.

And Tom! Merlin, she didn't even want to begin to think about how Tom would take it. He'd gotten so used to being her only child for so long and she couldn't imagine that it would be an easy conversation to have with him.

Leaving a few sickles on the table, Hermione left Flavia and apparated back home before making the long walk to her husband's office, knowing that he would be home today. First she would tell him, and then Tom, and then Radalphus.

...

Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair, with almost all of the Black family arriving at Black Manor. Hermione had ensured that the dining room was immaculate for all twenty plus members, including the children home from Hogwarts - Tom, Walburga, and Alphard. Orion would be joining them next year.

Hermione had been sure to have Dorea and Charlus sat over by her and Tom, wanting to catch up on her stepdaughter's whirlwind romance with the Potter heir. Things were going well, with Charlus being sure to ask Tom many questions about how he was finding Hogwarts. Potter was disappointed that Tom wasn't interested in Quidditch very much, and was dismayed to hear that Slytherin had just handed Gryffindor a sound defeat when they met before the Yule break.

Dinner was lovely, but Hermione could feel dread settling in her stomach the whole time, not trusting Cygnus to keep to their deal. She'd begged him to keep news of her pregnancy quiet from his family until she'd had a chance to break the news to Tom on her own. She had it all planned out, they were going to spend the day together tomorrow and then she would let him know.

When her husband stood, holding a glass, Hermione knew that he hadn't been able to keep his promise. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make." He said, a smile on his lips, while his grey eyes found here.

"Cygnus, don't." Hermione said firmly, her voice clear, trying to make her intentions known. "Now is _not_ the time."

"After so much time, Hermione and I finally have some good news to share." Cygnus pressed on, walking all over her wishes, stomping on them, showing her how little he cared for her.

"Cygnus, please." She felt tears spring to his eyes again, hating that she was forced to beg, but once he had started, he wouldn't stop.

"Hermione is pregnant. We haven't gone to the healer's yet, but we think the little one should be arriving in May or June." Cygnus said proudly, his smile broad and making Hermione cringe inside. She hung her head down.

The clattering of cutlery landing on the plate beside her brought her attention to Tom, but by the time that she looked at him he was already standing up, leaving the room. "Tom, wait!" Hermione called after her son, but he didn't stop. Turning to level Cygnus with her most withering glare - promising retribution for his disregard of her wishes - Hermione threw her napkin down on the table before following after him.

Running through the halls, Hermione followed Tom outside to the gardens, the air icy and cutting. "Please Tom, wait. I was going to tell you alone, I wanted to tell you first, to explain it to you, not just blurt it out like that." When she finally got her son to stop, she turned him to face her. He towered over her at this point, well over six feet, but she could still imagine him as the little boy she took in. It wasn't hard to see the tears glittering in his own dark eyes.

"Mother." He said, his face scrunched up in anger or disgust, she wasn't sure. "How could you do this? You promised...you promised me that I would be the only one, and now, you're throwing your life away to have a baby with that...that _swine_." His voice was sharp, and his breath was labored, as though he was trying very hard to keep his cool. A ball of kinetic energy, he began to pace back and forth, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Tom, I'm sorry." Hermione pressed her hands against her son's arms, trying to get him to focus on her. "I didn't intend for this to happen. I thought that it never would." She said, wanting him to know that she wasn't trying to replace him with another baby, like Cygnus has insinuated all those years ago.

Tom shrugged out of her hold. "You could have done anything with your life. I've seen your power, your strength, your intelligence." He stared down at her, shaking his head. "You could do _anything_. You are _better_ than Cygnus Black one hundred times over, and yet you are choosing to bring his baby into the world, tying yourself to him and his whims."

Hermione felt a kindling in her belly, his whispered words a reminder of the life that she should have had in the future, in a future where _he -_ Lord Voldemort - didn't exist. That she was powerful, more powerful than a pureblood; that she was better, not good for a mudblood, but better than everyone else. It was insane how all of those dreams and desires and hopes that she'd pressed down inside herself, not letting herself feel those things anymore, came back to life with just a whisper from his lips. She wanted to give into his words, but she knew that that life didn't work exist anymore.

"Tom, please, this isn't going to make me change. I gave up those things a long time ago to raise you, and this is no different." She needed him to understand. "But Tom, this baby...this baby will _not_ replace you. No one can _ever_ replace you in my life. You will _always_ be my son, and I will _always_ love you. Soon, you will see that this can be a good thing for our family, for us."

She felt herself deflating, sure that he wasn't going to understand, that she'd destroyed everything she had with him, but then she felt his arms wrap around her, holding her to his chest. She felt him press a kiss to the crown of her head. "Oh, mother. I hate the way that they pressured you into this." He lamented. "But I will try to understand." He whispered, though Hermione could still feel the tension in his body, as though he was still filled to the brim with anger, but holding it back for her.

Hermione hoped that he _would_ come to understand, but she knew that he was a teenage boy. She knew that he was full of hormones and probably didn't have a good handle on his anger. She just hoped that he would come to see that she was telling him the truth.

* * *

 **December 28th, 1941**

Radalphus met her on the muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron. After her run in with Cygnus at the muggle hospital in Birmingham, the couple was sure to take extra precautions to keep their affair secret. Hermione was glad that he'd been able to get away for a moment so that she could tell him about the pregnancy, as quickly as possible. She didn't want him to hear about it from someone in society, it was better if it came from her lips. He was waiting, reading a muggle newspaper when she found him.

Stretching up onto her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Thank you for coming." She said, pressing her hand into his, giving it a little squeeze. "Shall we go to a coffee shop? I know one not to far from here."

Nodding, Radalphus followed after her, though she could tell that his curiosity was getting to him. After they were seated, a drink in each set of hands, he finally couldn't stop himself from questioning her. "Hermione, is everything alright? I am happy to see you always, but your note seemed urgent." He grabbed her hand again, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand, wanting some kind of intimacy.

Hermione nibbled her lower lip, thinking of all the awful ways that this could go horribly wrong, but she was sure that it was going to mean the end of her relationship with Radalphus. Still, she could hope that it wouldn't be so bad. "I have something to tell you…" She trailed off, before deciding that the direct route would be best. "I'm pregnant. I've had it confirmed just this morning."

Silence was not the reaction that she was expecting from the passionate man, but that's what she got. His eyes were looking at her with an intensity that she couldn't place, eyebrows together in confusion, as though she didn't understand what she was saying. "Really, I am surprised that it hadn't happened before, seeing as we were never very good with contraceptives...I've gotten so used to not having to worry with Cygnus, that well, it tends to slip my mind." She was babbling, just wanting to fill the silent gulf between them.

Finally, Radalphus spoke. "It's mine? How can you be sure?" He asked, his voice tinged with a kind of desperation. Hermione was confused...it almost seemed as though he _wanted_ her to have his child.

"I-if I tell you this, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone." Hermione pleaded with her lover. She respected him too much to ever ask for an unbreakable vow, especially knowing that no one would believe his word over her's if he tried to expose her. Seeing him nod, Hermione moved closer to him, so she could whisper. "For the past...oh six or seven years, I've been adding a potion to Cygnus's morning tea to make him infertile."

His breath left him in a rush, and finally, Hermione saw a hint of a smile on his face. "Oh, ma mie, this is wonderful, wonderful news. When are you due?"

Hermione felt herself giggling, finally letting some of the joy of the pregnancy fill her, seeing how happy he was. Merlin, she'd thought that this was going to end horribly, but it seemed as though Radalphus wasn't as upset as she'd been expecting. Finally, she let some of her own excitement about the baby trickle in. For the past twenty-four hours, she'd been positive, as Tom suggested, that this child might ruin everything, but now she was able to see it was a gift as well. After all, she'd been dreaming of having a child, longing for one, really, so long as it wasn't Cygnus's, but she didn't have anyone else in her life. Now, she had Radalphus and she already knew that he was going to be a wonderful father, except….well, he couldn't be the child's father in truth. Everyone would assume that it was Cygnus's. That _would_ have to be a conversation for later, but she didn't want it to ruin her good mood at the moment. "The healer was thinking that the baby was conceived in late September, so we are looking at early June."

Radalphus gave her a fond smile. "A spring baby. It has been so long for me, Hermione. You must understand how glad I am that you are carrying my child." He pressed a firm kiss to her lips, but it quickly got heated, far too heated for public.

Hermione broke away. "As much as I would love to continue this, Radalphus, I have to get back before they discover I'm gone. I'm afraid this baby has made me infinitely more interesting to the Black women." She said with a frown.

Nodding, her beau walked her back to the Leaky Cauldron, leaving her with one more kiss and a promise to meet again soon, and pressing a hand to her still flat belly, before heading back to the wizarding world. Back to a world of secrecy.

* * *

 **March 2nd, 1942**

Even since learning he wasn't going to be an only child any longer, Tom had been feeling all sorts of emotions. Of course, he'd had to share his mum with Dorea and even Marius for a while, but they'd never had the same connection as he did with her. Even though she tried not to play favorites, he knew that she was his.

But now, she was going to be having a baby, and with that absolute embarrassment of wizard, Cygnus, and he knew that no matter what he said, she was going to love that baby, perhaps even more than she loved him. After all, _he_ hadn't come from her body - _he_ was only her cousin in truth - and she would be bonding with this child for nine months before its birth, creating a kind of connection that he could never hope to have.

Despite his best efforts, trying to believe her, more often than not, his rage would build and build, until he was barely able to hold his tongue about all the stupid things his dormmates would say. Abraxas was skating on thin ice already, but if he heard him talking about Eugenia Selwyn again, he was going to snap and use an Unforgivable curse on him.

Trying to stop himself from causing serious damage to the blond, Tom channeled most of his negative energy into chasing the snake in the walls all around the castle. It was a cool evening in March - most other students celebrating a Quidditch victory in the Ravenclaw dormitory - when Tom finally got the best lead on the snake. Making sure to check the moving staircases before he leapt this time, he successfully followed the creature from the fifth floor all the way down the fourth.

He could feel it in the pit of his stomach that this was the time he was finally going to uncover the secrets of the creature. It seemed to be moving with a purpose, and Tom was hopeful that it was going to take him to its nest, but then he would have to figure out how to get to the other side of the wall. He was sure a well placed blasting charm could work well, though he would have to take caution so that he wouldn't be noticed.

Eagerly, practically skipping, down the hallway (although he would deny it), Tom followed the snake as it moved along the hallway, only to have it seemingly turn into a room. He pushed the door open with gusto, only to realize that he was standing in the middle of the first floor girls' lavatory. All of his hopes for the creature deflated rather rapidly, when he looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Raising his wand, he let some of his ire go in the form of the aforementioned blasting charm, sending one of the sinks flying into pieces. He gave out a yell, annoyed that he'd wasted so much time, only to be lead on a wild goose chase to a bathroom!

He was beginning to think this was pointless.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! How about that big reveal last chapter? Oh my gosh, I have been looking forward to seeing how you all would take it for so long! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions. Also, ffnet is doing that thing where it's not letting me respond to your reviews...I've gotten to everyone I could, but if I missed you, I apologize! I will definitely respond once they fix this little bug they have.

Also, just a note, that the name discussed in here has nothing to do with the Cursed Child! Which, IMO, I am not going to accept as canon, lol.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-eight and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-nine soon!

* * *

 **March 30th, 1942**

Tom had been keeping his mother's _condition_ a secret from the rest of his classmates, including Edmond. For some reason, saying the words aloud, that he was going to be welcoming a new sibling in just a few weeks, made it all seem too real. Not even his mother's progressively more excited missives could shake the dread and... _jealousy_ that had taken root inside of him. He didn't care that she could feel the baby moving and kicking around now, or her speculations on if it would be a boy or a girl, or her laments that Cygnus did not attend healer appointments with her. Really, what did she expect?

He hated seeing his mother reduced to little more than a womb for his _adoptive_ family, if you could truly call them that. He hated that they only started accepting her when she was going to give Cygnus a child, and knowing that _he_ would never be accepted, no matter what Alphard thought of him.

But, he supposed the secret couldn't be kept for ever, especially not with Wally and her big mouth. Or Abraxas and his big mouth. He should have known that the blond was up to something based on the way that he'd swaggered into the common room one evening. "I've just heard from Walburga the _wonderful_ news, Tom. Why, she told us that she just got back from attending your mother's _baby_ shower."

Tom bit the inside of his mouth, trying to keep his cool around the other boy, who always knew just which buttons to push that would leave Tom hopping mad. The only problem was that Abraxas _never_ liked the outcome and he would never learn either. "So? I fail to see how that's news."

"Well, why on Earth have you been keeping it a secret?" Abraxas pressed. "The baby will be here sooner than you know it and you wouldn't have told anyone. Not that I can blame you."

Tom forced himself to keep looking at his potions assignment, wanting to keep his attentions off of Abraxas. He could feel his wand hand shaking though, just itching to show the Malfoy heir what he was made of. How dare he try to embarrass Tom Marvolo Riddle, heir of Slytherin?

Abraxas never learned when to keep his mouth shut though, and couldn't stop from pressing the matter. "Honestly, Tom, this is a good thing." He said, with a vicious little smirk on his face, the one he used when he _really_ thought he was going to be able to land a good blow. "After so many years, my father was positive that your mother was barren. It's good that she's finally learned her _place_ and his giving Cygnus a child. That's all she's good for after all. Now...well, maybe she's not so _useless_ as we thought."

Tom's head shot up and he sent a murderous glare at his classmate, shutting his book. "Haven't I told you to keep my mother's name out of your mouth?" He asked the boy, his nostrils flaring. "My mother is a hundred times more useful than _your_ puffed up father could ever hope to be."

"What's the matter _Tommy_? Worried that your _mummy_ will realize that she doesn't need you any more?" Abraxas pressed. "Why would she want a filthy half-blood like you when she could have a pureblood child instead? Why would she want someone with a filthy muggle for a father?"

"At least I know who my father is." Tom bit back. He'd always noticed the way that Mrs. Malfoy tittered around Cygnus Black, and several other men of high standing, and _gray_ eyes weren't really known for being a Malfoy trait. He couldn't resist the little jab at him, wanting to make Malfoy hurt just as much as he did. He pushed his seat back, standing up, needing to put some distance between him and Abraxas before he was pushed too far.

Only, Abraxas wasn't about to let him go so easily. "What the hell are you suggesting Riddle?" He pressed his hand into Tom's shoulder, trying to push him back. "My mother is a good, faithful lady, unlike your's."

That was it, he couldn't stand it any more. Throwing his wand down on the table, Tom reeled back his fist, sending it flying through the air until it connected with Abraxas's perfect face. The boy was not expecting to be hit like a muggle stumbled back, before catching himself on the couch. Barreling forward, Abraxas tried to swing at Tom again, only to learn that the other boy had a better wingspan. Abraxas could feel his nose breaking under the strain of Tom's fist, blood pouring down his face, while he fall flat on his back. In an instant, Tom was on top of him, punching him again and again, leaving Abraxas helpless to do anything other than press his hands over his face, hoping to shield himself a little from the blows.

But then it stopped. Abraxas looked up, hopefully, only to see Dmitri and Edmond holding Tom back. The other boy was seething, but slowly regaining control of himself, hands flexing at his sides. Abraxas looked around the room, hoping to have someone else come to his aid and help him up. To his dismay, even Bernard was standing behind Tom. He was all alone.

"I've warned you once before, Malfoy." Tom said, icily. "You do _not_ talk about my mother. Apparently, you haven't learned that we have a bit of an order around here in Slytherin house. _You_ will do as _I_ say, or else you will face the consequences." He shrugged his arms out of the other boys' holds, now that he'd gained control of himself. "Have I made myself clear?"

Abraxas felt tears in his eyes, from the pain of his broken nose, but he nodded anyway. He could recognize a lost cause when saw one and the tides were changing in Slytherin house.

* * *

 **April 3rd, 1942**

Hermione walked into the dining room fully dressed for the day, finding Cygnus already sitting at the breakfast table reading the Daily Prophet. After what they'd been through with Marius and then finding out that she was pregnant, she would have thought that she and Cygnus would have grown closer to one another, but they hadn't. It had never been more evident to Hermione how ill suited they were for one another. Perhaps it was her fault - finally moving on with a relationship with another man, giving up any hopes of having a real relationship with Cygnus.

He looked up at her, with a contemplative look on his face, before finally speaking. "You know, from the way you are carrying, I would say the baby is a boy." He said simply, with nearly no enthusiasm. It was a bit odd, Hermione thought, seeing as he'd wanted this baby for so long, and now that he was getting it, he wasn't over the moon.

She slid into her seat across from him, grabbing a chocolate croissant from the plate. She'd had a craving for them part way into her pregnancy, and despite her grumbling about her French mistress, but Opal still procured them for her every week. "It could still be a girl."

Cygnus gave her a self satisfied little smile. "Hermione, I've been involved in far more pregnancies than you. Please trust me on this." Hermione didn't want to admit that she had the maternal instinct that it was a boy, but only because she was so petty that she didn't want him to be right. "We should start thinking about names. I was thinking it might be nice to name the boy after Sirius."

Hermione scoffed. "I am not naming my child after your brother after all of the things he's put me through. Involving himself in our sex life. No, I will not allow him into this part of my life too." She was going to be firm on this. It would have been nice to name the baby after Harry's godfather, but after meeting the Black head of house, she had no desire to.

"Well, how about Arcturus then?" Cygnus queried, not looking too put out by her refusal.

"Why must we name our baby after one of your siblings?" Hermione asking, looking down at her lap. "I thought we might name the little one after my parents - Albaric or Tempeste. It would be a lovely way to honor my heritage."

"Darling, using constellations names are a tradition in my family." He said with a condescending little smile. "I know that my family won't accept any less. I will get you our extensive book on astronomy. I am sure you will find something that you like in there."

"Fine, but I get to chose a middle name. Anything I want." Hermione said sharply, looking at him over the edge of the paper.

"That will be acceptable, darling." Cygnus responded.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek so that she didn't say something rude. Although she wanted to tell him to shove it, she knew that she had certain expectations to uphold while living in this time period. It was one of many times when she wished she was in the future, with more freedom for women. "Wonderful. If you don't mind, I was going to do a little shopping today. Will you be home for dinner?" Cygnus made a small noise that seemed to suggest he was, but Hermione was already walking towards the floo.

* * *

 **April 16th, 1942**

Hermione was wrapped in Radalphus's embrace in a little seaside cottage that he'd rented for them in Cornwall. It was not quite so easy for Hermione to get away from her in-laws watchful eye, so their trysts were few and far between. But they still made time for each other when they could. She always went to him after her healer's appointments, only wishing that he could be there with him.

Gasping, feeling the baby kick, Hermione grabbed his hand and placed Radalphus's hand on it. She loved seeing his large hand against her skin, and the look of awe on his handsome face when he felt his child's kicking against his hand. "He is certainly active whenever I am around you. He can sense his father." Hermione pressed a kiss to the tip of Radalphus's nose.

"He?" Radalphus asked, with a small smile.

"Well, Cygnus said that he thinks from the way I am carrying that he thinks it's a boy. I haven't done the charm." Hermione reassured him, though she could still sense that Radalphus was slightly tense. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Radalphus rolled onto his back. "What's wrong is that the whole world thinks that my child is Cygnus Black's." He ran a hand down his face. "I don't know what I expected, that you would be able to leave him is of course an impossibility, but I thought that...I could handle this better than I can. It's eating away at me."

Hermione sucked her breath in, hating that he was feeling this way. Four months and he hadn't even given her a hint or anything that he was feeling this way, that he was less than happy with their arrangement. She turned to face him, cupping his scruffy cheek in her palm. "Radalphus. You know that I wish I could leave him. But you know as well as I that my wedding bond is until death do us part."

"I just wish that death would come sooner rather than later for that tosser." Radalphus whispered. "You've been dosing him with potion for years and he never noticed...don't you think you could just slip one time?"

"Radalphus!" Hermione said, slapping him against his chest. "You know that I am not a murderess." She whined, though sometimes it was nice to fantasize about a time when Cygnus might not be around. She bit her lip. "Cygnus said that I have to name the baby a constellation name. Family tradition."

Radalphus groaned. "What horrid name does he want to want to bestow on our child?" His hand returned to her bare belly, caressing the bump. Hermione already felt a bit large, but she knew that she had more months to go.

"Well, I get to choose." Hermione said, biting her lower lip. "I-I found one that I kind of like. Delphinus?" Hermione looked over his face for any hint of how he might be feeling about it. "I was thinking that it wasn't so far off from your name - Dalph and Delph?" She said with a smile.

Radalphus finally smiled, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. "Yes, I suppose that would be suitable if it must be a constellation name. I want to give the child whatever name you wish to give it, ma mie."

Hermione kissed him again, her hands tangling into his hair, wanting to hold him to her. She moaned while his tongue enter her mouth, softly caressing, a dance that they had perfected in the time that they had been together. Reluctantly, Hermione pulled away. "I've been given full reign to choose a middle name. Alexandre, perhaps?" She suggested, knowing how they initially bonded over the French muggle writer, and knowing that he'd named his other two children after his characters.

He chuckled, but shook his head. "No, no, a lovely idea, but I have a different name in mind, if you would take my suggestion?" He asked, before Hermione nodded. "I had a very good friend back in France - Henri."

She felt her breath leave her, seeing as it was so close to Harry. She couldn't think of a better way to honor her friend that she loved enough to sacrifice her whole life for. She blinked away the tears in her eyes, not wanting to worry Radalphus. "I think Henri is perfect."

Their lips connected again, urgent and sweet, bodies molding against one another. They only had a little while left with one another, and they were going to make the most of it.

* * *

 **May 30th, 1942**

The translation of Salazar Slytherin's diary was much slower going than Tom had hoped. He thought it would be full of interesting insight, but the majority of it was banal, details of the construction of the castle, or details of his trysts with Rowena Ravenclaw and other various witches. Tom was increasingly disturbed to learn that his ancestor had almost no physical control over his body.

Of course Tom knew that witches had their charms. He was a fifteen year old boy after all, and he wasn't immune to the... _hormanal_ responses that he had when looking at this witch or that. It didn't help that most of the girls in his year had nearly finished their transformations into womanhood, growing more curvy and soft looking. Hints of pale breasts were suddenly visible beneath school uniforms, and expanses of leg which were previously innocuous were now something that could make his heart beat faster. The worst of it was that the giggling girls seemed to know _exactly_ what they were doing, delighting in the action.

Tom was firm in his opinion that he wouldn't lower himself to date just _any_ witch - not even after Edmond told him about how he'd felt Etta Flint's breasts over her blouse. No, he'd pick someone more like his mother - opinionated, smart, and above all else _powerful_. He also liked that his mother was more simple...not at all done up like Walburga tried to make herself seem.

Walburga was still trying to catch Abraxas's eye, perhaps hoping that she would convince him to deflower her, trapping him into some kind of betrothal. It still made Tom laugh to learn that there had been talk about betrothing her to none other than her cousin, Orion Black, a small second year. He was sure to be good looking _eventually_ as all Blacks seemed to be, but for now he resembled more of a little chipmunk with round cheeks and teeth too large for his face. Walburga had come back from Easter break, eyes still pink and puffy from crying and she hadn't stopped since. It was much better revenge than anything Tom could have planned on his own.

It was nice to know that he was guaranteed not to have an arranged marriage like so many of his classmates. For one, he was positive that no one was knocking down Cygnus's doors to suggest their daughters for a half-blood, despite how talented he was and how good looking he was. Tom wasn't blind. He knew the kind of things that girls tittered about behind their hands about his tall stature, dark hair, and strong jaw. But, he also knew that his mother would never allow him to be put in a situation like that, where he didn't get any choice.

He wasn't too bothered about it. He knew that someday, when he was Minister of Magic, he would reveal to everyone how powerful he was, and girls and women would be knocking down _his_ door to get a taste. After all, why wouldn't they? He was a catch.

Pushing thoughts of the future from his mind, he returned his thoughts to the diary he was reading. Another surprise was finding out that Slytherin didn't just hate muggleborns arbitrarily. Apparently, they were easily influenced by the Christian church, and want to kill themselves or their classmates, believing them to be possessed by the devil. He had many arguments with his co-founders, with Gryffindor in particular thinking that they could change them.

No, Slytherin was much more interested in _power_ , something which Tom could understand. After all, he was a half-blood and he was a better student than anyone else in the school. He had more ability in his little finger than most of the boys in his house, and he didn't see why Malfoy or Avery should look down on _him_. Who was to say that there wouldn't be a particularly powerful muggleborn some day down the line - why exterminate them when you could manipulate them to your particular needs instead?

He was about to close the diary for the evening when one line in particular caught his eye. Slytherin was working on a _personal_ project, entirely secret from his co-founders. It was a chamber, that would hold his monster - a basilisk.

Tom felt his heartbeat quicken as he read over that word. Of course he knew what a basilisk was, but was it really possible that the creature he was hearing in the walls was a basilisk? Was it possible that Slytherin's monster was still alive after all these years? Eagerly, he read on. He would use the monster to rid the school of any student that _he_ deemed _unworthy_.

This was just the kind of thing he was looking for to prove to his classmates that he was the heir of Slytherin - a secret chamber that only Slytherin would have known the entrance to. Of course, he'd heard of the Chamber of Secrets - he had read _Hogwarts, A History_ before - but he also knew that they'd searched the castle numerous times, never able to find the chamber entrance.

Except now Tom had a leg up on all of them. He was a parselmouth, after all.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! And babes, seriously, thank you so much for being so understanding while ffnet was having its little glitch. You know I like to keep my updates regular, so it wasn't an easy decision to hold back my update on Saturday. I really appreciate you all hanging in there with me!

I want to let you all know that I do have a plan to resolve this little love triangle situation, so I hope that you will keep sticking with me! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and post story updates...right now I am talking about a future Theo x Daphne story and I am debating ship names, lol.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-nine and be on the lookout for chapter thirty soon!

* * *

 **June 17th, 1942**

Hermione had called for Flavia as soon as her labor had started. It had been a point of discussion between her and Cygnus, but she refused Ursula, Belvina or Irma's help in giving birth. They could be in the house, but she didn't want them trying to help her. If things got really serious, she would have Flavia call a healer, but she didn't trust any of the women to behave in an acceptable way while she was incapacitated.

Her blonde friend was due to give birth herself in just three weeks, so she found it a bit difficult to help Hermione, but still did her best anyway. When she imagined giving birth, Hermione never would have expected it to be in a bed at Black Manor, rather in St. Mungo's, she supposed, if she had to lock it down to one place. She felt her heart aching for Mrs. Weasley, knowing that the woman probably would have been infinitely helpful, having gone through the process six times before. But, that's not the way that things were able to work out, and Hermione was going to have to do this the hard way.

The pain was much more difficult than she would have imagined. She'd been so confident in all the months leading up to the birth, thinking that it would be nothing in comparison to the cruciatus curse that Bellatrix Lestrange had put her under all those years ago. It was different, less scary, but it was still quite painful. Hermione tried to listen to Flavia, breathing through the contractions, and squeezing the blonde's hand harder than she probably should.

She wished that Radalphus was able to be here with her, witnessing the birth of their child. She'd sent _him_ a note before she'd sent one telling Flavia it was time, promising that she would see him as soon as possible. It hurt to know that he couldn't be there, but she knew that he would be much more hurt than her.

Sensing her discomfort, Flavia gave her a soft smile. "Are you sure you don't want me to go get Cygnus? I know those old women say that men shouldn't be in the birthing room, but they were there for the conception, and there's no reason that he shouldn't be here now." Her sweet words were appreciated, but she couldn't very well tell her friend that it was not Cygnus she wanted. "I insisted that Gareth be present for all my children's births."

"No, that's fine, Flavia." Hermione said with a grimace. "I think that it's time for my to start pushing…" She said helplessly, glad that it was finally starting, but also worried about how it would happen.

"Alright, honey, let's get started then." Flavia gave her a confident looking smile.

…

"Oh, Hermione, he looks so much like you." Flavia cooed at the little bundle, magically cleaned and swaddled. It wasn't so much of a surprise to hear that her child had ended up being a boy, seeing as that was what she'd _sensed_ the whole time. Flavia passed her the baby.

Once he was safely in her arms, Hermione felt her heart swell with love. Merlin, she didn't think that she would ever be able to love another person quite as much as she loved him. He looked up at her with dark milky blue eyes, but she was sure that they would change to her color of brown in only a few weeks. A smattering of wavy brown curls were evident on the top of his head. She felt tears in her eyes, before looking up at her friend. "Of course a child of mine would be born with a full head of hair." She giggled.

A knock on the door broke up the happy moment, and before long Cygnus was walking in. "A boy." He said with a smile on his face. "I knew it. Now what name have you decided to give our son, darling?"

"Delphinus." Hermione said looking down at him. "Delphinus Henri."

Cygnus grimaced at the name, but he couldn't argue with her, seeing as it _was_ a constellation name. She'd followed his prerogative, and picked a name that would follow his family's tradition. He gave her a tight smile. "Delphinus Henri Black." She felt a little dagger twist in her heart, knowing that it should be Lestrange for his last name, but not being able to say anything about it without giving up her lover. "Do you mind if I bring him to meet my family?"

Hermione was a little bit touched that he'd actually asked her permission. "That's fine. Could you please bring Delph down to the library when you are through? I want to introduce Tommy to his new brother." Hermione knew that she was quite lucky to be a witch, seeing as it meant she was able to heal much quicker from the birth than usual with just a few spells and a potion. She was up and walking shortly afterwards, albeit a bit sore.

Flavia helped her down the stairs to her favorite couch in the library, settling her in with some blankets. "Should I call Tom for you?" She asked, wanting to be as helpful as possible. Flavia had promised to stay the night, to help Hermione with nursing. Apparently, Rosalie had been a very fussy baby and hadn't taken well to breastfeeding, so Flavia had all sorts of tricks.

"That's alright, I will just send him a patronus." Hermione said absentmindedly. With the extreme happiness that she was feeling in the aftermath of Delph's birth, it was infinitely easy to conjure her familiar otter, sending it to find her son." Nearly immediately, she could hear his heavy footsteps running down the stairs.

He burst into the library. "Mother? What was _that_?" Tom asked, not stopping to catch his breath.

Hermione blushed. "It was my patronus, Tom. Haven't I ever shown you that before?" She asked, surprised that it had never come up. Of course, in this time period she didn't really have a good reason to use her patronus very often, but it was still as much a part of her as it was back in the war.

"Well, yes, but it talked." Tom said, and Flavia beside her gasped.

"Oh, well, _that's_ just something I've been working on in my spare time." Hermione said, looking at her lap, not wanting to reveal too much. As she recalled, only the Order of the Phoenix knew how to send messages with their patronuses.

Before she could elaborate further, Cygnus popped in the room, holding a very fussy looking Delphinus. "Here you are, Hermione." Cygnus said with another small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She wondered if he had any doubts that Delph was _actually_ his son, the same way he could tell that little Cygnus wasn't his. "Somehow he is already a bit of a mummy's boy. Pity he doesn't have more of the Black look about him." His tone was disappointed.

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes, before calling Tom over to the couch to sit next to her. "Tom, this is your brother, Delphinus." She said brightly. "Don't you want to hold him?"

Seeing the fearful look on his face, she was sure that he was going through a lot of emotions. "He looks so small. What if I hurt him?" He asked. Hermione felt a surge of concern, before tamping it down. Of course Tom would never hurt the baby on purpose, and he seemed genuinely concerned. Instead, she showed him how to hold his arms to best support little Delph.

Flavia cooed seeing the baby in Tom's arms, and Cygnus looked on, a bit of concern in his eyes, though he quickly relaxed. Before they could talk much more, the Floo came to life, and Radalphus stuck his head through. "Pardon the intrusion, but I was wondering if I might speak with Lady Greengrass?"

Cygnus looked annoyed but permitted him to pass anyway. Once the taller man was in the library with them, picking imaginary lint off of his robes, Cygnus finally spoke to him. "What are you doing here, Lestrange? We are having a bit of a family moment."

Radalphus gave him a tight smile. "Yes, I have been with Gareth all day, helping to look after his children while Flavia is away helping with the birth." His eyes swept to Hermione on the couch, the tiny bundle securely in Tom's arms. "But I see that it has already occurred. Flavia, you forgot your potion and your husband asked me to bring it to you on my way home."

Cygnus took the vial from him, before handing it to Flavia. "Well, you've dropped off your parcel." He said, not wanting to kick the man out directly, but wanting him to leave his home as soon as possible.

Hermione made a little noise in her throat. "Mr. Lestrange, would you like to meet my son?" Her husband made a noise, but she just gave him an annoyed look. "Cygnus, he's already here, he might as well meet little Delph." Hermione pressed a kiss to the top of her baby's head. "Would you like to hold him?"

He gave her a kind smile, before moving over towards the couch, taking a seat on the other side of Flavia, his arms outstretched eagerly waiting for the baby. Once he was settled with the child in his arms, it seemed as if all the tension in his body melted away. He stared down at the baby with a look of awe on his face. "Delph, did you say? He has your look Madame Black. I am sure he will grow to be quite handsome some day."

"Yes, Delphinus." Hermione responded. "Thank you, I just think he is so adorable."

Radalphus took a great big, shuddering breath, before returning the baby to his mother. When he looked up at her, Hermione could see the glimmer of unshed tears in his eyes, so moved at holding his son for the first time. He blinked them away, perhaps hoping that no one else in the room had seen them. "Well, I must be off. I am sure that Edmond has blown something up already - he's gotten a new potions kit. And Tom, you know that you are always welcome at our home." He said to her other son, with a smile.

Hermione wanted to call after him, not willing to let go of this family moment so soon, but she supposed that it was better for him to go when they had such a big audience. She was glad to hear him extend the invitation to Tom though, and bid him good evening, hoping that the others didn't notice the disappointed tone in her voice.

* * *

 **August 8th, 1942**

Tom stared down at the letter that was sent from Hogwarts. The clink of the shiny metal badge hitting the table didn't get the attention of his mother _or_ Cygnus. His mother was far too invested in feeding baby Delph and Cygnus as usual was ignoring the others in favor of the Daily Prophet.

He felt his face transformed by a snarl. Delph wasn't even two months old yet, but he'd irrevocably changed the relationship that he had with his mother. The baby was so helpless and so completely useless and his mum had to do practically everything for it. He was worse than Cygnus. His mum had _tried_ to keep their usual summer routine of spending as much time together as possible, but now there was always a tagalong. Walks in the gardens were transformed by baby talk and childish descriptions of the world around them. "He doesn't understand what you're saying, mum." He'd finally snapped one day.

"You know, I used to talk with you constantly, Tommy, and all you could do was babble to me. It's good for a baby's development." Hermione said with a far off smile on her face. "And look at how well you turned out - you've gotten the top grades again. Just think, you will be able to do anything you want to when you graduate."

Oh, he fully intended on doing whatever he wanted, taking whatever steps necessary to get where he wanted to go. But he wanted to tell her that his exceptionalism must have come from his bloodlines, seeing as he had Salazar Slytherin's blood in his veins. He never wanted to replace his mum, but he'd found himself wondering what Merope had been like. He wasn't able to find much information out about his biological mother.

Baby Delph threw a bit of banana on the table, breaking him out of his musings. Tom rolled his eyes. The baby couldn't eat the banana yet, but he could sure make a mess with it. He stared down at the little baby with his brown curly hair. At least the baby was ending up looking more like his mum. He was sure he would have hated it even more if he'd been a little Cygnus clone. His mum was so wrapped up in the baby, that she still hadn't looked up at him. She probably wouldn't even care that he'd made prefect.

"Mum, I've been selected to be a prefect." He said, casually, wanting to know if she was ignoring him. To his surprise, she was not.

Looking up at him with a bright smile on her face, he could tell that his mum was immensely proud. "Tom, that is wonderful. Congratulations love!" She nibbled her lip, before looking back at the baby. "This deserves a celebration. How would you like to go to Diagon Alley today, just you and me?"

Tom looked at the baby pointedly, wondering how she was going to get out of watching him. He would like nothing more than an uninterrupted day with his mum, just like old times, before Delph. "That would be great, mum. I've been thinking that I might need new shirts for my uniform." It was true, he'd begun to broaden, his shoulders getting thicker as he got older.

Hermione looked towards Cygnus, before rolling her eyes. "I'll just ask Dorea to watch Delph. You know she adores watching him." Cygnus couldn't be counted on to watch his own baby for even one day, and always suggested that he just leave him with Opal. Hermione was against having a house elf do all of your baby sitting.

Suddenly feeling much brighter about the day, Tom stood from the table, pressing a kiss against his mum's temple. "Great, I will just go upstairs and change." He said, glad that his mum was finally giving him a bit of attention after all. It was wrong of him to think that she was ignoring him or wouldn't care that he'd made prefect.

His mum was perfect after all. She wouldn't do that to him.

* * *

 **September 16th, 1942**

"Please just let me look over your paper, Alfie!" Reginald Carrow was complaining, his voice taking on a whine that was infiltrating Tom's brain and he was sure that he was going to have a migraine if he heard him droning on for another moment. They had been arguing for at least fifteen minutes now, neither boy willing to budge.

Shutting his book purposefully, so it would make a noise and alert the others in the Slytherin common room to the action, Tom looked up at two boys, disdain clear on his face. "Alfred, Reginald. Come here." He liked watching the way that they bristled at their full names being used, but they trudged over to the couch that he was sitting on anyway. "What is the matter?"

"I barely managed to scrape a passing grade on Herbology this year, and my father said he'd have my hide if I didn't bring my grade up this year." Reginald said, his words coming out like a jumble. He seemed a little embarrassed to be admitting his lack of skill in that area. Tom supposed this was admirable in a Slytherin - a house that never wanted to admit their weaknesses.

"And what does this have to do with Alfred?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

Reginald huffed. "Alfred's the best in our class at herbology, and he finished his essay ages ago. I was hoping that I could look over his paper before I start mine...just so's I make sure not to put down anything incorrect." He turned and gave his friend a glare, apparently upset that Alfred wouldn't just hand over his paper.

Alfred glared back in return. "I'm not going to let him cheat off my essay - he's known about this assignment for two weeks. It's not my fault if he only decides to start it the day before it's due." He crossed his arms, a defensive posture to show that he wasn't going to budge on this.

Tom pursed his lips together, while he thought for a moment. "In Slytherin house, we look out for each other." He said, letting his eyes sweep over Alfred. "But laziness cannot be tolerated either." Then he stared at Reginald. He let both of the boys stew for a moment, letting them worry about what he was going to do or say to them next. Let them sweat for a while. "Avery!" Tom barked out, getting his classmate's attention.

Avery looked up from his own work, annoyed, before seeing that it was Tom that called for him. He scrambled out of his chair, before tripping his way over to the couch where the trio was waiting, in his haste to get over there. "What is it Tom?"

Tom returned his attention to Reginald. "Avery is unusually useless in most subjects he attempts, but even I can admit that he has a knack for herbology." He watched as Bernard colored, whether from embarrassment or pride at the praise, Tom wasn't sure. "Reginald, you will work with Bernard to bring up your herbology grade. Bernard, you will make time to tutor him."

The other three boys all looked at him in a kind of awe at his statement, but none of them wanted to contradict him. He couldn't stop the smirk from coming across his face at how easily his fellow Slytherins followed his commands. Just throw a little praise at them, let them think that they have your appreciation and they would fall over themselves to do what you said. Finally, Bernard nodded, and Reginald shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

"You know that you can bring these kind of little...issues to me. I am a prefect after all." Tom said, wanting to be sure that they came to _him_ in the future. Once the other two were gone, headed off to discuss herbology, he asked Alfred to stay behind. "Alfred, I would love to get your opinion on something."

"Really, Tom?" Alfred asked, sliding into the chair next to him.

"Yes. The new third year boys...who do you think has the potential to join our little group for drinks at the Hog's Head?" He asked, letting his eyes rove around the room. Of course, he'd ask Alphard out of respect, but he wanted to know who else to include.

Nott gave him that mean little grin he was known to have. "Oh, I have some ideas." He said, before leaning back to give Tom all kinds of insight on the boys in third year.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad you guys liked getting to meet little baby Delph in the last chapter! He's so precious, right? This is a bit milestone chapter for this story! Not only are we tipping over 100k words, but we are also now 2/3 complete with the story! You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-one soon!

* * *

 **October 2nd, 1942**

Being a prefect had certain benefits that Tom couldn't deny. For one, here he was reading in the library after curfew and there wasn't anything anyone could say about it. If they tried to, he would assign them a detention or take house points away. The power was easy to abuse, but Tom had kept a reputation of being stern, but fair so far. Even the Gryffindors couldn't come up with a perceived slight he'd made against them.

But, that didn't mean he wasn't willing to abuse the library privileges.

Hidden in a nook, Tom used a bluebell flame charm - a particular favorite of his mum's, if only a little bit advanced for a fifth year - to read Salazar Slytherin's journal. It was finally getting to a good part of the story, where he and Godric fought and Salazar finally left the school.

One of the most surprising tidbits was what the fight was over. In history, Slytherin was remembered as a champion of pure-blood supremacy, wanting to only matriculate pureblood students, and using his creature to rid the school of muggleborn filth. In actuality, Tom quickly learned, Slytherin was extremely disturbed by the number of violent instances with the muggleborn students, many of them poisoned by the Christian church to believe that they were possessed by demons or even the devil himself. Many times, they would draw their wands on themselves or their fellow classmates.

It was a matter of safety that Salazar wanted to keep the muggleborns out, as he opined in the pages of his journal. It wasn't that purebloods were necessarily _better_ , as evidenced by a muggleborn witch who Salazar had met at one point, only, she had been abandoned by her muggle family and left in the Dark Forest to fend for herself. Her magic was a matter of survival. Also, as far as Tom could tell, there weren't any halfbloods to be mentioned in this time, because of the total lack of intermingling between magicborn and muggleborn people.

The baslisk was charged with _protecting_ the school, a means of backup should a muggleborn decide to kill everyone that he could.

It was interesting for Tom to read of Slytherin discussing the Unforgivable curses so casually. He supposed that there would have been a time when magic was completely unfettered from the ethical thought of modern magic. Slytherin talked of the imperious, though he preferred to use his advanced legilimency to nudge people in the directions he wanted them to move, never above a little manipulation.

Looking out the window onto the moonlight grounds, Tom wondered if he should practice the Unforgivables. Of course, you didn't want to be unprepared, and just because he knew the incantations and the wand movements didn't mean that he was going to use them. It wasn't bad to equip yourself with as much knowledge as possible.

Most disappointing in the journal was the realization that the only reason Salazar had left the castle was because he'd been wounded by a creature in the Dark Forest, which left some kind of festering curse. It left the renowned wizard weak and his magic unstable, and he worried that he wouldn't be able to survive a duel with the other wizard. It seemed so disappointingly banal that a great wizard such as Salazar Slytherin could be felled by a simple creature - not even a being.

It got Tom to thinking...it was really unfortunate that you could be left so vulnerable, so open to attack. If only there was some way of you to protect yourself, a safeguard of some sort that could protect you from attacks. He didn't want to be felled by something silly like an acromantula. And Salazar knew that once he became Minister for Magic, there would be people all around him trying to take him down.

Tom wanted to be invincible. This would take some research.

* * *

 **November 1st, 1942**

Gemma Rowle was probably considered very beautiful by the majority of his classmates, with flowing blonde locks artfully coiffed in whatever fashion was in vogue currently, and brown eyes framed by sooty lashes. There was no doubt amongst the boys that she was the girl in their year that had...come into the most fruitful of assets out of all the girls, her body now accompanied by gentle curves.

Tom Riddle _might_ have been able to appreciate any of these things if she wasn't also the singularly most annoying person that he'd ever met. He often wondered how she could be so horrible when she was related to Flavia, his mother's close friend, who was friendly, and not too overbearing. Gemma was instead rude and whiny, and as Tom had recently learned, overly clingy.

He'd preferred her when she was just Wally's annoying little friend who followed the Black daughter around, sending mean little digs Tommy's way when she could, and laughing that mean little laugh that she had. She was quick to point out that she was Sacred Twenty-Eight, and he was merely a half-blood who'd weaseled his way far above his station. Only now...now she was looking at him differently, once the others had started to recognize that he was going places. He's prowess in academics had never been questioned, but now he was gathering some political clout as well. There was all sorts of gossip about all the families that wanted him to clerk for them the following summer at the Wizengamot. Further, the older he got, the more handsome he became as well, and girls outside of Slytherin even were taking note of his tall stature and perfect smile.

Gemma couldn't abide by a uppity little half blood, but she absolutely wanted a piece of Tom Riddle now that it was clear he was in charge.

So why was Tom Riddle spending a perfectly good Hogsmeade weekend with this annoying girl, who couldn't stop revealing her utter _stupidity_ while prattling on about potions? Because she just happened to be the female prefect for Slytherin house and somehow they drew the short straw to patrol that weekend. Gemma was a Slytherin, though, so he didn't put it above his classmate to have pulled the strings to get some quality time with him. Merlin, why couldn't the Slytherin prefect have been Etta Flint or Georgie Bulstrode? At least Etta was enthralled with Edmond, and Georgie would sooner put him in a headlock than want to date him.

"Walburga was telling me that Professor Slughorn mentioned he was having a little holiday get together." Gemma said, not at all offhand. It wasn't really the Slytherin way, but she could tell that she wasn't really getting anywhere with being subtle with Riddle. "I would love to go to it." She batted those sooty eyelashes at him, hoping to get a reaction.

Tom rolled his eyes, not caring for a minute if she noticed. Wally - or _Walburga_ as she was insistent on being called now, despite refusing to call Tom anything but Tommy - was decidedly _not_ in the Slug Club, seeing as the man only ever invited boys. The girls weren't likely to amount to anything other than pretty wives to be shown around. But old Slughorn had been telling some of the girls in his house about the party so that they would be able to find suitable attire, as they would obviously be asked as dates. Not that Wally was going, not now that she was actually betrothed to Orion. Pollux didn't want a repeat of what had happened with his sister, Cassiopeia, and so they decided to finalize the contract as quickly as possible. Sirius, Orion's grandfather, was inclined to agree, even if it was a little unusual to marry second cousins. Now, none of the boys in his year would touch her with a ten foot pole.

"Hm. Have you thought of approaching Malfoy? I think he's available." Tom said, letting his eyes scan the crowd of students, looking for anyone who was misbehaving so he could unleash some of his growing rage.

"Oh, no." Gemma said, giving his arm a squeeze. As soon as they'd begun walking towards the village she'd gotten him in her grip, and he was too polite to shake her free. "Have you asked someone to go with you already, Tommy?"

He cringed at being called Tommy yet again, her pink lips parted in suspense. No, he hadn't asked anyone to the party, but his mind flashed with an image of Melanie St. Martin dressed up just for him, her curly brown hair artfully done up. He wasn't sure if he'd actually have the courage to ask her, but...he put that out of his mind.

Seeing Higgs standing across the square, a miserable look on his face, as he stared in the window of Honeyduke's. His eyes narrowed, and he turned to face Gemma. "No." He said simply, shaking himself out of her grip. "I think our shift is over. Have a pleasant Hogsmeade."

"Oh! Tommy, wait!" She called after him. "I know that you guys usually go to the Hog's Head. Do you mind if I tag along? I don't want our date to be over so soon."

"This wasn't a date, Gemma." He said cooly. "And you would do well to stay away from the Hog's Head. Now run along to your little friends." He cooed, acid on his tongue. He couldn't spend another moment with the vile girl. Spinning around, his long legs carried him quickly towards the third year boy. "Bertram, how are you this afternoon?" He asked.

The blond boy looked up at him surprised. Bertram Higgs was unusually tall for his age, and it gave him a look of being woefully underfed. "Riddle. Alright, I suppose." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at his feet.

"Now, Bertram, tell me what's really wrong. I don't think I've ever seen you looking so glum." Tom said, knocking his shoulder into the other boy's, a friendly gesture. "Come on, I am a prefect, so if someone is bothering you, I can help you."

The boy colored, his cheeks a bright red. He waffled for a few moments, before finally deciding to reveal the issue to his housemate. "I don't have any money...mum said they couldn't spare any for Hogsmeade visits. It's hard to see everyone else enjoying candy."

Tom felt for the boy, wondering what he would have had if his mother hadn't taken him in. He knew that the Blacks were quite generous with his allowance. Opening the little pouch he carried in his cloak, Tom fished out a shiny galleon, before handing it over to the younger boy. "Everyone deserves a little chocolate." The boy, looked up at him in wonder, and Tom pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Listen Bertram, I want you to know that you can come to me for _any_ issues that you might have. I'm here to help you. Now, go enjoy your chocolate, and meet us at the Hog's Head in a few minutes."

The boy gave him a cautious smile - to be invited to Tom Riddle's little group outings was something everyone in his year was eager to have. "Great, thanks Riddle." The boy said, thinking that today was his lucky day.

* * *

 **December 11th, 1942**

Hermione cooed down at her son, nestled safely in the pram, as she walked down the sidewalk through the park. He was content with the copious warming charms, and his brown eyes were darting around, following the birds and the foliage that lined the path. Apparently, an ice palace had been created in the park not far off from Diagon Alley and she was taking her son to see it.

Not to mention that it was a convenient excuse to run unto Radalphus.

"Madame Black, what a surprise." Radalphus said, a smile on his face. He had a small krup on a lead, and she wondered if he'd actually bought a magical dog equivalent just to have an excuse to walk with her. "And young master Delphinus. How do you find the weather today?" Delph looked up at the new person, eager to babble away at him.

Seeing Radalphus interact with their son reminded her of why she went through all of these hoops to create little family outings. She hated every day that they had to keep their relationship secret, and she worried about what would happen should Radalphus begin to resent her for the secrecy that they had to keep. "Mister Lestrange. Would you care to join us? We were headed to the ice palace."

Radalphus nodded, and fell into step with her and they continued along. Hermione cast the muffliato to keep their conversation private from any listening ears. "Thank you so much for meeting me. I long for the day that we can spend the holidays together as a real family." She said, a pained tone in her voice.

He had made every effort to see Delph as often as possible, but it still wasn't as often as she would like. Their son was starting to reach milestones, and she hated that he couldn't be there, especially when Cygnus didn't make any effort to be in Delph's day to day life. It seemed he found little use for children when they couldn't do much yet. Being around the holidays made it especially hard, thinking that she would like to spend Delph's first Christmas with Radalphus at his home, rather than trudging off to Grimmauld Place to get the stink eye from Irma the whole time, discretely checking her food for poisons.

Beside her, Radalphus let out a great sigh. "You know that I wish it was different as well, Hermione. But, I am willing to wait as long as it takes to be with you in truth." He looked down at her, his eyes filled with emotion. "But, you mustn't blame me for wishing that the old man would die sooner rather than later."

Hermione gave a little laugh beside him. True, it was wrong to wish death on her husband, but it wasn't as if she was going to do anything about it. He was drinking so much anyway, these days, that she was sure he was hastening his own demise all on his own.

"Hermione, you know that...I love you." Radalphus said, brushing a curly strand of hair behind her ear.

She stopped abruptly, turning to face him. They'd been through so much, but neither of them had ever said that phrase before. Hermione had promised herself that she didn't need to hear him say it, that she knew he did and that would be enough. But hearing it made her heart beat so much faster. Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, Merlin, Radalphus, I love you too. So much." She blinked away the tears in her eyes, the feeling of being loved so overwhelming. "Couldn't you have picked another time to tell me this? I want nothing more than to kiss you silly, but I know I can't out in the open like this."

Radalphus pressed his hand against her lower back, encouraging her to resume their walk. "Soon, ma mie, I will kiss you whenever I like. Soon, we will meet and I will be able to show you just how much I love you, and kiss every inch of you."

She groaned, his words putting all sorts of naughty ideas in her head. He knew just what to say to excite her. He still created so much passion from just a look, or a brief touch. His smirk told her that he knew _exactly_ what he did to her.

Clearing his throat, Radalphus got them back on track. "I must tell you that I did open an account at Gringott's for Delph. When he is ready, he will have access to money from that vault as well." He said, his eyes darting to the snuggled baby. Hermione wondered if he would grow to look too much like her lover, or if his looks could continue to be passed off as coming from her as he grew older.

Biting her lower lip, Hermione frowned. "That's such a risk, Radalphus. Should anyone find out, they will question why."

"I am his father, Hermione." Radalphus said, a hint of anger clear in his voice. "I cannot be his father in truth, so please let me give him this, and provide for his needs, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Nodding, Hermione could understand his desire. Again, she felt a bit of self-loathing well up in her, that she was taking such a wonderful gift away from him, and letting Cygnus think that Delph was his baby as well. Hermione _Granger_ would never have lead this kind of deception...she would have been disgusted in the way that she was using both of the men.

But, Hermione could give Radalphus this at least. "Of course. Come, let's talk of happier things - I don't know when I will be able to see you again." She said, determined to have a pleasant family outing, even if it wasn't in the way that she wished it could be.

* * *

 **January 31st, 1943**

Tom gave a stern look to the rest of the boys who had been invited to Slughorn's personal quarters for another Slug Club meeting. He had something he'd been meaning to speak about with the portly Professor since he'd returned from winter break and he'd been buttering the man up all week. He wasn't going to let his classmates ruin the chance.

It was a delicate thing that he had to ask about. He'd been researching for weeks in both the Restricted Section and his family library. He knew that he couldn't ask his mum about it - he was positive that she would go ballistic. He'd even considered asking Sirius or Cygnus, but his standing in the Black Family was precarious at best, and he didn't want the other men to press him on it.

He had decided to ask Aunt Belvina's husband, Herbert Burke, seeing as he was a known proprietor of a shop that specialized in Dark magic, but unfortunately, he'd been called away on business and was unable to attend Yule celebrations. Personally, Tom thought that Burke was avoiding the Black family, unreluctant outsider as he were.

Tom waited for his Head of House to realize that they were alone. Slughorn seemed startled, but he remained at ease. "Thank you for the pineapple Tom. It's my favorite." He said, calmly. Tom wanted to huff - the gift necessary, but difficult to procure. Still, he'd done it anyway. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Why yes, sir, actually there is." Tom said, trying not to let a hint of tension fill his body. "I was wondering if you could tell me about a bit of dark magic that I came across in some unrelated research. I didn't know who else to come to to ask, you see...I have purely an academic curiosity, and I don't want anyone getting the wrong ideas about my interest."

Slughorn loved to be buttered up, to be made to feel special. That was why he surrounded himself with so many exceptional students and alumni. "Of course Tom, you can come to me. Now what is it that has caught your mind?"

"Horcruxes." Tom said smoothly. "I understand the basic idea...that it would hold a tiny piece of your soul, but what I am having trouble conceptualizing is how one would split their soul."

"Perhaps you should be asking yourself why someone would _want_ to split their soul." Slughorn said, darkly. "I believe it's said that dark magic leaves it's mark...the Killing Curse splits the soul. Murder has it's consequences."

Tom felt his breath catch. He _had_ been practicing the Unforgivable Curses, just on small, wayward insects, but he'd never even attempted it on something like a warm-blooded animal. The thought of casting the Killing Curse at another wizard made his stomach turn in uncomfortable ways. Of course, he'd wanted to _hurt_ other wizards before, but to kill them...

"The Killing Curse is the only way?" He asked, hoping that Slughorn didn't pick up on the change in his demeanor.

"I believe so, Tom." Slughorn said, his bushy eyebrows gathered, giving Tom a very firm once over. "But I wouldn't trouble yourself thinking any more about this topic. No good can come of it."

"Of course, sir." Tom said, obligingly. "I must say I am disappointed I've already spent so much time thinking on it, only to learn that horcruxes can only lead to evil." He said blithely, wanting to take his leave from his Head of House. He would need to think on this.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** Hi darlings! Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I was so excited to read your reactions to last chapter - I am glad that you are still so invested in Tom's future. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter, as it checks in with a lot of people! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-one and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-two soon!

* * *

 **February 2nd, 1943**

One of the exciting new things that Hermione got to participate in now that she had little Delph was the joy of playdates with Flavia. Her second son was born just a few weeks after Delph, so they were very suitable playmates, and they seemed to get along swimmingly...well, as much as two babies under the age of one could get along with one another.

With precious blond whisps, Garrard was the epitome of a Greengrass baby, and Hermione found herself wondering again if this was the father or perhaps grandfather of her future classmate, Daphne. She hoped that one day she would get to find out the truth.

"Delph is so handsome, Hermione." Flavia gushed over her little boy. "It's true that he takes after you more than Cygnus, but just look at those curls! Just like yours. I just wish that Graeme hadn't grown out of his." It was true that while the little boy had had a mop of curls when he was younger, his hair was now fairly straight.

Hermione ran her fingers through her own curls, which had become much more manageable as she grew older. "Oh, I hope he gets...his father's waves." Hermione said, realizing that she'd almost had a little slip up and said Radalphus's name instead of Cygnus. "My hair was so unruly in school, and all of the girls were so rude to me about it."

"But didn't your mother teach you any glamour charms?" Flavia asked in that slightly naive way of hers.

The brunette snorted. "No, mother didn't believe in those kind of luxuries." Hermione remembered how much her one bottle of Sleek-Ezey's had cost, and how she'd had to beg her mother for extra money in order to purchase it. It was true that her mother wasn't interested in quick fixes or really too much focus on outer beauty. It was odd now for Hermione to be in a world where there was so much focus placed on it.

It was nice to have a chat like this with Flavia, but at the same time, it made Hermione's stomach fall even more when she thought about all the secrets that she was keeping. With each lie that she told, extricating Radalphus further and further from his own son's life, she felt more and more miserable. Surely, it wouldn't be so bad to tell Flavia. If there was anyone who supported her throughout her whole time here in the past, it had been the Greengrasses. And it seemed as though Gareth was quite good friends with Radalphus himself. Would they understand? Could they understand? Did they have any inkling of the affair that was occurring just under their noses?

No, Hermione knew that it was much too risky for her to reveal the truth, not just for her, but for Radalphus as well. The wizarding world did not look kindly on this kind of behavior, and she didn't want to think of what would happen with Delph, either. Would the Black family try to kill him?

But, this secret that she was keeping from her best friend reminded her of the other secret that she was also keeping from Radalphus, and even worse from Tommy. That she was not Hermione Millefeuille, good pureblood girl from France, but rather a mudblood interloper from the future. Would they understand at all if she tried to explain it to them? Would Radalphus still want to be with her if he knew that their child was only half-blood? And Tommy...oh, she knew that he would be so furious with her for keeping a secret like this from him for so long, but...he'd come around, wouldn't he?

Shaking her head, Hermione tried to put off the negative thoughts, lest she end up in a downward spiral of despair, and she tried to turn the focus away from the babies and towards Graeme, who was due to start Hogwarts soon, a fact that Flavia was most upset about.

* * *

 **March 7th, 1943**

Tom almost never read the Daily Prophet. It was something of a habit that he'd picked up from his mother while he was growing up, seeing as the witch almost seemed to have a personal vendetta against the newspaper. He wondered if she was embarrassed by the coverage she'd got fighting Grindelwald's forces when he was a child, or if she just prefered the journalism of her home country. Still, he never was too interested in what they had to say.

So, he wasn't entirely sure what it was that caught his eye when he looked at that day's edition. Perhaps it was the huge picture of Gellert Grindelwald, power growing every day and seemingly unstoppable. There were calls for someone to just do _something_ about it, specifically Dumbledore. Tom chanced a look up at his Transfiguration Professor and found him pointedly ignoring all of the press.

He couldn't hide his smirk. Even though he didn't realize it, Aberforth Dumbledore had been a considerable source of information into the slightly dark past of Albus Dumbledore. It seemed that there had been another time when the auburn haired man hadn't been quite so repressive in the kinds of magic that he was interested in teaching, and that he'd had a close relationship with the dark wizard trying to take over the world. It was only a matter of time before Tom found something that would really stick, but it was tedious to read through archived newspaper when he was studying for his OWLs and reading Salazar Slytherin's journal.

The tiny moving picture on the bottom corner of the front page of the Daily Prophet was insignificant compared the flashing of photographer's light bulbs as they followed Gellert Grindelwald in Germany. It just held one moving picture, a little mugshot of someone that Tom was sure many paid little attention to at all.

But then, this man had the good fortune to be Tom Riddle's uncle.

He quickly read through the article and was...pleased to see that the man had completed his sentence in Azkaban prison and was due to be released later that month. Although he didn't want to admit it, he was intensely curious about his biological family, and after Marvolo Gaunt had died the year before, Morfin was the last living connection that Tom had to Merope, aside from his mother.

He never wanted to hurt his mum by asking her too many questions about Merope. It wasn't as if Tom would rather have been raised by Merope, and he could never begin to thank his mum for the sacrifices she made to come and adopt him. He could only imagine what his life would have been like had he been raised in that awful muggle orphanage he'd been dumped at. But, because he didn't want to hurt her, he knew that a lot of his questions had gone unanswered.

Now, though, he had his chance. He could go and speak with Morfin, once school was out for the summer and finally get a chance to speak with someone else who had inherited Salazar's gifts. Who knew what kind of insights his uncle would have when it came to being a parselmouth, or perhaps his growing abilities with legilimency. It came fairly naturally to him, and he could only imagine that it was an inherited trait.

Pulling a spare piece of parchment from his book bag, Tom began to pen a missive to his long lost uncle, with the aim of setting up a meeting between them later that summer. He kept it short - not wanting to reveal too much on paper - but signing it with his full name: Thomas Marvolo Riddle. He hoped that Morfin would understand the significance because he wasn't even sure if his uncle knew he existed. He'd been in prison when he'd been born after all.

Excited at the prospect, Tom had to stop himself from running all the way to the owlery to send off the letter.

* * *

 **March 28th, 1943**

"Can you believe that France is just a short journey across the sea from here?" Radalphus asked, his one arm cradling a wiggly Delph while his other rested against Hermione's lower back. She'd eagerly agreed to meet Radalphus in Dover, bringing their child along with them, needing Delph to spend as much time with his father as possible.

"Hm." Hermione made a small noise of agreement, before turning to face her beau. He looked especially handsome today, the wind pushing his dark hair back from his face, his dark eyes trained somewhere off in the distance. "Except we are magical, and we could make our way to France in an instant, if we wanted."

"I miss the warmth of the Mediterranean on my skin." He said, wistfully, finally looking down at her. Delph was trying to snuggle into his warmth and Radalphus awarded him with a fond look before adjusting his cloak to protect their baby from the cold.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together. He wasn't thinking about leaving, was he? "You wouldn't abandon me, to return home...would you?" She asked cautiously, diverting her eyes from his face. Though they had told each other that they loved one another, Hermione sometimes still felt so vulnerable. Like his affection would leave just as quickly as it had swept in. She didn't want him to see, to know, how much he affected her.

"Never." He said, resolutely. "But that doesn't mean that I do not fantasize about stealing away with you in the night so that we could raise our son the way that we wanted, and I could tell the world that I loved you, and no one would bat an eyelash." His voice was a low rumble, full of emotion and feeling, and it made Hermione ache.

She hated that she was the reason for their secrecy, but knowing that there was no other way around it, either. Still, she was filled with so much regret - if only she'd been stronger and stopped the relationship with Radalphus before serious repercussions became unavoidable. Looking at her son, though, she knew that she wouldn't ever wish Delphinus away. He was a little piece of _their_ love that no one could ever take away from her.

Really, she was more disappointed that she hadn't made the right decision all those years ago when Cygnus had proposed to her.

"I wish we could get away again, even if it were only for a weekend." Hermione said, searching his face. "Do you ever think that...perhaps we could get someone to help us? I think sometimes that...perhaps Flavia would cover for me. She is my best friend here and I think that she would keep my confidence. And I know there is no love lost between Gareth and Cygnus."

Radalphus gave her a sad smile, before shaking his head. "I am afraid that Gareth is a bit too old fashioned, ma mie." It was nice to imagine, but Radalphus wasn't willing to jeopardize Hermione's safety. "Though, I am close with Gareth as well. It might not be terrible to...test the waters."

Bending down, Radalphus pressed his lips to her's, capturing Hermione in a desperate kiss, putting all of his longing for a different life into it. She sighed, opening her lips up to his, her tongue tangling against his in a lazy, familiar caress, before breaking apart.

"It's nice to dream." She said, sadly, wondering if she and Radalphus would ever get a happy ending together. "What would we do at your home in Marseille?" She questioned, wanting to be swept away if only for a moment.

Radalphus came to stand up behind her, his lips coming to kiss the shell of her ear. "Well, the first thing that I would do, my love, is to make love to you out in the radiant sun on the balcony off of my room…" She felt her eyes droop shut while she let his seductive words lull her into a comfortable dreamscape of a future they might never get to.

* * *

 **April 16th, 1943**

Hermione transfigured her dress into a muggle style in their room, giving her a chance to actually review her work in the mirror. Now that Cygnus knew that she still visited Marius, there was no reason to hide her excursions into the muggle world and it gave her even more cover for her trips to visit Radalphus. She knew that Cygnus didn't like her continued visits to his estranged son, but she also knew that he wouldn't do anything to stop her either.

Knocking on the door to his office, Hermione walked into the room briskly. Though she didn't particularly want to catch him with Irma, she wasn't going to walk on eggshells to avoid catching them in the act. Luckily, he was alone. "Cygnus, I was going to go to Birmingham to visit Marius. He's been been promoted again at the restaurant."

Since his injury and he was discharged from the enlisted forces, Marius had been able to return to working at the restaurant. His sight had returned with no lingering issues, but they told him it could become a problem later in life.

Cygnus slammed back the rest of the firewhiskey in his glass, before scowling at her. "My son, little more than a house elf." He summoned the bottle of firewhiskey to come to him.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Really, Cygnus? It's just past noon and already - you're drunk!" She'd noticed that he'd begun drinking more and more, making him surly and unpleasant to be around most of the time. "Can't you just support your own child?" She questioned, waiting for a response. When he made no move to answer her, she threw her hands up in the air and left the room.

Heading off in the direction of the nursery, Hermione got Delphinus ready for the day, smiling when she saw Seamus sleeping contently in a sunbeam. Her son was ready for an excursion, and Hermione hoped that Marius wouldn't mind meeting his "half"-brother.

Apparating the pair of them to a deserted alley, Hermione quickly made her way to the restaurant that Marius worked at. She and Delphinus ate lunch, before requesting to speak to the chef. Marius looked nervous when he came out of the kitchen, before he saw Hermione waiting for him at the table.

She stood, wrapping him in a half-hug, Delph balanced on her hip. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Marius, I know you don't have much time to chat, but this is delicious. I absolutely loved it, and I am so _glad_ that you are doing well." She hoped that he still welcomed her presence in his life.

He did look grateful that she was there. "Brilliant. Yeah, I've been getting pretty good reviews so far, and everyone seems happy." He turned his attention to the baby on her hip. "And just who is this fellow?"

"Delphinus." She said, fondly, before clearing her throat. "Your half-brother."

Marius righted himself, looking at her with a smirk, slightly reminiscent of her Sirius. "Hermione, you might have everyone else fooled, but I can tell...he's not got an ounce of Black blood in him. Much too handsome." He gave her a wink, before seeing her stricken face. Would he tell her secret to the rest of the family, thinking that it might get him back in their good graces? "Don't worry, though, your secret is safe with me."

Hermione felt herself relax at his promise, knowing that Marius was probably one of the few people she could actually trust. "Thank you." She said, quietly.

"Actually, I have some other good news, myself." Marius said proudly. "I'm getting married!" He told her with a proud smile on his face.

"That's wonderful, Marius." Hermione said, the ease of their earlier conversation returning to her. "And just who is the lucky lady?"

His cheeks turned a bit pink, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "One of the nurses at the hospital, actually. She took care of me while I was healing up there. She's called Becky." They chatted a bit more about their upcoming nuptials, the time passing quickly. Before long though, someone from the back was coming to retrieve Marius back to the kitchen. Apparently there was some kind of crisis with the soup.

Pressing one last kiss to his cheek, Hermione bid Marius good luck, before leaving to make the journey home.

* * *

 **May 8th, 1943**

To his immense pleasure, Tom Riddle had gotten a bit of a reputation about Slytherin house. It hadn't taken long for the rest of his classmates to learn that if you needed help with something, you could go to Riddle. Not only was he a prefect, but he could help you with other stuff too. He'd helped Reggie Carrow get a passing grade in Herbology whilst making Bernard Avery actually feel purposeful for one. He'd even gained an unshakable follower in Higgs after gifting him some spending money.

It was refreshing to have the rest of the boys look to _him_ for guidence and approval of their plans. He couldn't begin to describe the heady feeling that he had when some of the boys would ask his _permission_ to do something. He was a natural born leader.

He'd pretty much informed everyone of what their study schedules were going to be for the OWLs, and they'd all listened dutifully, heading to library or common room to get things done. He was determined to have Slytherin house perform the best on their exams, and he wanted another year of winning the House Cup. They were superior and he wanted everyone else to recognize that fact.

He was sitting with Dmitri and Edmond near the fireplace in the common room, the three of them quizzing one another on their Astrology homework, when they were disturbed by Alfie Nott. "Tom, can I speak to you?" He asked, in a rush, nerves clear on his face.

"Of course you can, Alfred." Tom said, a friendly, disarming smile sliding onto his face. "What is it that's troubling you? I am sure that I can come up with something to fix it for you." The other two boys looked up as well, curious at what could possibly be bothering their fourth year friend so much.

"Well, you see, I am meant to bring a date to my second cousin's wedding this summer, and I was planning on bringing Ivy, but now I've done something to make her spitting mad." Alfred said, staring down at his feet, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes, but not able to cover the unsteady sound of his voice. "Oh Salazar, what am I going to do? My father will beat me silly if I don't bring a date...he already thinks I'm not a _normal_ teenage boy, and…"

"Alfred, calm yourself." Tom said, trying to get to the heart of his fears. He was surprised to hear that Nott's father would ever lay a hand on him, the idea sounding horrifically muggle, though he was impressed the the boy's ability to keep it hidden. "Now, I am sure that we can think of a way to get you back into Ivy's good graces." Ivy Warrington was another fourth year and quite good looking. "But if we cannot then I am sure that there is another person you could bring as your date. Edmond?"

His friend turned to look at him, his mouth turned up at the corner. "Yes, Tom?"

"I believe that your little sister, Mercedes, would be absolutely dying to go to a society wedding, wouldn't she?" Being that the Lestranges were a bit of outsiders, there wasn't much opportunity for socializing with a lot of society.

"Oh, she definitely would." Edmond responded with a smirk, before turning to face Alfred, who already seemed to be calming down. "But just so long as Nott here doesn't try anything fast with my sister. Now what did you do to Ivy?"

Alfred explained that he really wasn't sure _what_ it was that he'd done, but he was willing to try anything to get her back, though he did also express some interest in taking Mercedes Lestrange out for a night of dancing, a sentiment that had Edmond scowling.

"You should give her jewelry. Something simple, but something that tells her you are serious." Dmitri said, his accent making the suggestion seem more like a command. "It's what my father always does when he needs to get back in mother's good graces."

"That must be all the time." Edmond said with a smirk at his friend. "Or, you could tell her how beautiful she is, girls love to be complimented on their looks." Edmond gave his advice to the younger boy. "Then, when she's starting to forgive her, then you can start kissing her. Etta loves when I kiss her neck."

Tom was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable that he didn't have any pertinent girl advice to give the boy, seeing as he hadn't had any sort of relationship, physical or otherwise, with a girl. It wasn't as though he didn't want to, just that he hadn't found the time or the type of girl he wanted to. Still, he thought about what his mother would want before she would forgive someone, who had wronged her, and he remembered that she always seemed to favor facing things head on. Breaking up the lively discussion between Edmond and Dmitri about the best ways to seduce a girl, he decided to add his two knuts. "Or you could always try to apologize to her outright. Some witches like the direct approach."

Alfred awarded the trio of fifth years with a reassured smile. "Great, thanks for the help lads." He turned to go track down Ivy, leaving them to return to their studies.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Hey babes! Thank you all so so much for reviewing, favoriting and following! I have been anticipating this chapter like, basically the whole time since I've been writing and I can't wait to see what you think of it! This is a pretty Tom heavy chapter, but don't worry, we will be returning our usual cast and characters later. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-two and be on the lookout for thirty-three soon!

* * *

 **June 10th, 1943**

Tom had been waiting patiently for his OWL results the moment that he stepped off the Hogwarts Express. Every rustle of wings had his heart stuttering in anticipation. It wasn't that he was nervous - really, he was quite confident in his abilities - but, he couldn't move on with his summer plans until he received them.

His mum had been exceedingly proud of him, pressing a kiss to each of his cheeks when he'd shared with her the scores. His reward was a night out at his favorite restaurant in Diagon Alley, just the two of them. She left Delph under Dorea's watchful eye - apparently, his step sister was having trouble conceiving a child, much like his mother had, but she was hopeful given Hermione's success even after years of trying. Hermione had emphatically told Dorea that she would have a child some day, but Tom thought that wasn't wise. What if her words didn't end up coming true?

Tom could begrudgingly admit that Delph wasn't so bad to be around, especially now that he was a bit older. It had taken him approximately two days to learn to say Tom, to his mum's delight. "Oh, he is such a quick learner." She said, ruffling his curly brown hair. "Just like you were at his age. And now look at you, off on your first job."

With his impressive OWL results in hand, Tom had gotten several offers to clerk with different families at the Wizengamot. Everyone was after the ambitious young Slytherin with ten Outstandings to his name. One family was conspicuously absent from his list of offers - Black - but Tom couldn't imagine spending any more time with Cygnus than required. And, there would come a day, he was sure, that Cygnus would rue overlooking him.

The Rosiers had been quite keen to work with him, as were the Selwyns. Even though he felt absolutely no allegiance to the Black family, since the two families had rather publicly snubbed his adopted family, he decided to decline their offers...for now. The Potters had given him an offer as well, though Tom didn't his job offer to be seen as nepotism, so he declined that as well.

In the end, he decided to work for the Greengrasses. Gareth was an old family friend, very respectful of Tom's mum, and he was sure the older man would have a lot of experience and wisdom to impart to him. Not only had he been participating in the Wizengamot for decades, but the man was a prolific writer of legislation. He wasn't necessarily progressive, but he wasn't quite so set in his ways as some of the other Sacred Twenty-Eight families. Gareth was a man who could see the benefit of changing with the times.

Most of his work was involved in pulling relevant law and data from the Ministry library, to support whatever Gareth was working on. His employer would share with Tom whatever it was that he wanted to pass or bring forward in the session, and then Tom would head over to the archives. He'd spend his days hunched over dusty old books, crumbling at the edges, searching for other laws or precedent that might support or detract from Gareth's arguments. He'd never done so many copying spells in his life.

Having an extra pair of eyes was undoubtedly helpful, but Tom wanted to set himself apart from other clerks. He took meticulous notes, and ordered all of his findings in a concise and logical way, to save Gareth further time crafting his arguments. It was a skill that had quickly earned him respect and gratitude from the elder Greengrass.

Handing off his most recent work on the regulation of International Portkeys, Tom tried to keep his face impassive while Gareth heaped on the praise. "I must say, Mr. Riddle, impressive work once again. You've saved me hours on this." He leaned back in his chairs. "You know, when you were just a first year, I remarked that you were going places. I am just glad that you have lived up to your great potential."

"Thank you, sir." Tom said politely. "I enjoy doing good work." He tried to keep his tone thankful and humble, though inside he was preening at being recognized for how special he was.

"You know, I am sure you have that mother of your's to thank for your work ethic." Gareth grinned at the boy. "She's an unusual witch, but quite exceptional, just like yourself."

Tom jerked his head in an approximation of a nod. "Yes, she is very special to me." If he didn't know that Gareth was completely enamored with his own wife, Tom would be worried that he was sniffing around his mother. Still, it was nice to know that someone else recognized her exceptional qualities, because the Black family surely didn't.

* * *

 **July 31st, 1943**

It had been easy enough to slip away from Black Manor - just a call to his mum that he was going to spend the day in Diagon Alley with Edmond (who his mum thoroughly approved of) - and he was Flooing away. From there he slipped out into Muggle London to take a train to Little Hangleton. A tiny stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Tom recognized the place from when his mum had taken him to meet with his father.

But, the Riddle house was not his destination today. Instead, it was to the household of Morfin Gaunt, his uncle. It was a short walk from the station, but Tom made his way there quickly, his long legs taking him down the winding lane. He was filled with anticipation of the meeting, and he could only imagine what his uncle was going to be like and what kind of knowledge the man would have for him.

His first indication that something was wrong was the state of the home. Tom would classify it more as a shack than a home, and it was falling down in several places. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that his uncle had just recently been released from Azkaban and probably hadn't had time to make many repairs yet.

That was, until he saw the door.

Tom knew that it was a bit odd to feel an affinity with snakes, but he was positive that the sight he saw was enough to turn most people's hearts. It appeared as though a common garden snake had been nailed to the door, and it was just barely hanging on to life. When he approached, it gave him a reproachful hiss, as it was nearly to weak to even manage that. Feeling his heart lurch, Tom waved his wand to removed the snake from the door, intending on healing it's wound. The moment it got to the ground, though, it was desperately trying to slither off.

Tom called after it in parseltongue, but it did little good, as the next moment a door was wrenched open, and the man that came out sent a hex at the creature, killing it. Horrified, Tom turned to face the man, whose matted brown hair was emitting a disgusting odor. Could this man really be his uncle. "What do you want? Just letting my snakes free?" The man sneered at him.

"Morfin Gaunt?" Tom asked, cautiously, in complete disbelief that he was related to this cretin. "I'm Tom Riddle, your nephew. I wrote to you about having a brief discussion." He straightened his spine like soldier, not wanting to let the other man think he was intimidated.

Morfin looked him up and down, before smiling at him with hideously stained teeth. "Yes, no doubting that you're Merope's bastard. You're the spitting image of that _muggle_." He said with a mean little laugh, before letting Tom into the shack. There was no place for him to sit down, as the kitchen table was overturned, and so was its solitary chair.

He felt immediately uncomfortable not to mention that he hated any reminder of the man that had sired him. "Yes, well, actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about." He said, swallowing thickly. All he needed was a little information about the family that he was from and then he would move on.

"Who raised you, anyway? I hear my sister - that traitorous bitch - is dead. Dead whelping you." Morfin said, looking Tom up and down, with a sneer. "Serves her right, if you ask me."

Tom could already feel himself bristling at the suggestion that his mother deserved death. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps it had been wrong to come here. Maybe there was a reason why his mum never spoke about the Gaunt family...maybe she knew how disappointing they would be. "Your cousin has been raising me as her own. Hermione Millefeuille."

"Huh?" Morfin grunted, not appearing familiar with the name.

Tom frowned. Perhaps Azkaban had addled his brain more than anticipated. "Hermione Millefeuille from France. Your uncle's child." He supplied, wondering if it would it would trigger a memory.

"Oh, that French bitch. I am surprised she found the time to raise someone as lowly as you. The Millefeuilles always looked down on us, even though we are far superior in breeding." Morfin said proudly.

The teenage boy could feel his anger slowly rising when he heard the way that Morfin was talking about his mother. He shuddered, his hand tightening on his wand, as he tried to keep his temper in check. Morfin was treading on thin ice. "That's not why I am here, though. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about my birth mother - Merope. Or, our family."

"Our family? Our family? You think that we would ever accept you into our family. You are nothing but a half-blood!" The man roared, his face turning red with exertion, and spittle flying from between his lips. "A millenia of pureblood breeding thrown away for a pretty looking muggle."

Tom bristled, feeling his rage simmering beneath the surface. Just who did this man think he was, talking down to him as if he were scum? Tom Riddle was a powerful wizard, and his being half-blood didn't make him any less than a pureblood wizard like Morfin - animal torturer, couldn't even keep himself clean, living in filth and squalor. "Do not talk to me that way. You have no idea who you are dealing with." He said, his voice icy and cold.

"Your mother was a squib. The only magic she could do was creating little love potions." Morfin sneered, not taking credence to Tom's warning. "And that was only because she was so ugly and desperate for that filthy muggle to look at her and give her the time of day. He never would have touched her if he wasn't high an amortentia."

"Don't talk about my mother that way!" Tom shouted. He didn't have any particular feeling for Merope, but he didn't want to think poorly of the woman who'd given her life so that he could live his.

But Morfin just kept on shouting. "And then she disgraced this family by bringing the product of their relationship into this world. You."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

It happened in an instant, so quickly that Tom almost didn't realize what had happened. Of course, he'd practiced it before, but he could never imagine actually attempting the spell, nor for it working on his first attempt. But the sickening thud of Morfin's body, laying at such an odd angle, was proof of his success.

Horrified, Tom looked at the man, his face contorted still in rage, his eyes wide and unseeing, had his stomach turning. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't believe that he'd actually just killed a man, torn his soul irreparably. Blinking back tears, Tom knew that he had to think quickly. He couldn't believe that he had actually taken another wizard's life, but he'd just been so mad and he'd literally seen red, and before he'd known it, he'd been casting, almost moving like a man possessed. It wasn't done in self-defense, but rather, it was a crime of passion. He was a murderer.

Tom's mind snapped back into action. He needed to get out of the shack quickly, on the off chance that someone came looking for the deranged man.

But then, the niggling thought popped in his head until he couldn't quite shake it. Yes, he hadn't come here intending to kill, but since he had, it seemed foolish for him not to make a horcrux. It was a great way to ensure that he wouldn't be vulnerable to attack, seeing as he couldn't be killed, and he'd already done so much research on the topic. He'd thought about it before, and it almost seemed...fated that this should happen. It was an easy decision to make.

He would need a vessel to place his soul. Raising his wand, he bit down hard on his lower lip, thinking desperately. "Accio family heirlooms." To his surprise, something actually came flying towards him...well, two things really. Once was a ring with a geometric black stone in the middle. The other was an ostentatious, emerald locket, with an impressive gold filigree S. He would be a fool not to recognize the locket for what it was - Slytherin's locket. But the ring...he couldn't be sure.

It didn't feel right to place his soul fragment into the locket, not without first studying it, so he settled on the ring. He hid the locket in his cloak, before steeling himself to perform the charm. He knew that it was supposed to hurt immensely.

* * *

 **September 21st, 1943**

"Thanks for meeting with me, Tommy." Melanie said, smoothing her skirt as she sat down in the chair next to him, a shy smile on her face. "I could really use the extra help, what with it being my OWL year and all."

Tom tried to give Melanie a reassuring smile, even though he didn't like being called Tommy. The only person that he didn't correct was his mum, and well, he guessed Melanie now too. He knew that she didn't mean it maliciously. It was probably just a habit. "Don't worry about it. Potions are very important."

"Are you sure you have the time?" She asked quickly, tucking some of her curly brown hair behind her ear, exposing the curve of her jaw to him. "I know that Professor Slughorn offered your help without asking you first, and I am sure that you are busy with your own school work and prefect duties."

"I said don't worry about it." Tom said, before regretting the harsh tone that he used. It was true that he was quite busy...he didn't really have time to hold hands with a Hufflepuff, but he found himself wanting to do it anyway. He could admit to himself now at least that he did find Melanie St. Martin attractive, as she'd only grown more beautiful over the years. He wanted to experience some of the things the other boys in Slytherin house had been talking about, like clandestine kisses in deserted class rooms or seeing what a girl felt like under her blouse.

Before he'd even realized it, Melanie had slipped into his subconscious and he found himself fantasizing about running his fingers through that curly hair of hers, tangling it around his fingers and holding her against him while he snogged her. He hoped that she wouldn't realize his lack of experience.

But none of that was going to matter if he scared her off by being rude and mean. He tried to smooth things over. "I just mean, I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't want to help you, Melanie. Believe me, Dmitri is constantly nagging me to help him with his potions work, and I never do."

That made her face brighten up, before she gave him a sly smile. "So does this mean that I am a special case for you then?" She asked, teasingly. Perhaps she realized how uncomfortable he was with the flirting, or maybe he'd just blushed, because the next thing he knew she was bumping her shoulder into his. "I am just kidding around, Tommy. Let's get started."

Thankful for the distraction of the potions textbook between them, Tom tried to focus on the words and explaining the differences between slicing and cutting ingredients for her, and not on Melanie herself. It was a task that became infinitely more difficult when she took her robes off, unveiling a form fitting blouse that hugged every new curve that she had.

Internally groaning, Tom hated the distraction that this was sure to be. Did Melanie know what she was doing to him? What kind of thoughts she inspired? Was she doing it on purpose just to torment him?

At the same time, he knew that his body had gone through a similar transformation. He'd always been tall, but he grew to be well over six feet in his time at Hogwarts, and he knew that he was an attractive individual. Was Melanie tittering with her friends behind closed doors about the sharpness of his jaw, or his thick hair? Did she dream about what it would be like to kiss him?

Determined, Tom decided that he was going to find out.

* * *

 **November 4th, 1943**

There was a commotion in the common room after classes when Tom returned. Immediately, he zeroed in on the cause being a seventh year boy, Marcus Mulciber. He was hissing like a cat and cradling a hand to his chest, swearing up a storm all the way. Based on the way that his face was absolutely contorted in pain, Tom quick deduced that something was wrong.

He was surrounded by members of the Slytherin Quidditch squad, including Avery, Malfoy and Higgs. Avery seemed to be having a crisis, his hands balled into fists at his sides, while Malfoy seemed spitting mad. Noticing his approach, Malfoy seemed to relax. "Oh, Riddle." He said, almost surprised, as though he hadn't thought about what to do. "You can help us."

Tom kept his face impassive - he was annoyed that Abraxas had just ordered him around as Malfoy's were known to do, but at the same time he wanted to reward people for coming to him. At this point, it was well known that if you were a Slytherin who had a problem, you would go to Riddle, and he would sort it out for you. "What is the matter?"

Annoyed with the racket Mulciber was making, Tom raised his wand, silencing the older boy so that he could listen to Malfoy's answer. "Something happened in their defense against the dark arts class today, apparently." Malfoy told him, exceedingly unhelpful.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Tom turned to face the other seventh year who was with Mulciber, Warrington. "Well?" He asked, feeling a bit impatient. He couldn't help if no one told him what was wrong in the first place.

"We were practicing dueling, and Marcus was paired with Fitzgerald from Hufflepuff. That little bastard broke Marcus's hand, claiming it was an accident, knowing that we have a Quidditch match against them tomorrow." Warrington said calmly. "I suppose he hopes that Marcus won't be able to play beater if he can't hold his back."

Avery sneered. "We want revenge."

"Well, that's obvious." Tom said. They couldn't let Hufflepuff try to get away with any dirty underhanded tricks against them, without retribution. To make matters even worse, it was Fitzgerald, someone that Tom hated more than anyone. "Take him to the matron to have it healed. A little skele-gro and the bone will mend itself, and then find me before the game tomorrow and I can give him something for the pain that's better than the weak shite she'll give him."

"And Fitzgerald?" Avery asked expectantly, clearly out for blood.

Tom gave him a devious smile. "Oh, I have a plan for ol' Jez. He's been far too sure of himself at Hogwarts for too many years, and he needs to be taught a lesson about messing with people much stronger than he is."


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I hope that you guys enjoyed the little surprise that it had and that you enjoy this chapter too! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, answer questions and give story updates!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-three and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-four soon.

* * *

 **November 30th, 1943**

It was easier now than ever for Hermione to sneak off to see Radalphus. Really, it didn't even take much sneaking at all. She'd been worried that with the addition of Delphinus to the family that the Black family would begin meddling with her more than they ever had, but it seemed once they'd gotten what they wanted - another name on the family tapestry - they had little use for her.

Hermione was glad that the tapestry didn't involve any blood magic and that it just assumed that a child was born of it's parents. She supposed given how convoluted their tree would be without that, it was for their benefit as well. It helped them keep their own secrets.

No, instead of being more involved in her life, the Black family mostly left her alone. Sirius was happy that she'd done the family duty and was now so wrapped up in his own expanding family that he couldn't really be bothered with her. Ursula and Belvina liked to gossip about her, she knew, but it didn't really bother her at this point. After dealing with Rita Skeeter in her fourth year, Hermione had learned to let the rude words of others roll off of her.

The only real blip on her radar was that Irma hated her more than ever. She knew that the redhead blamed Hermione for Cygnus's rapid descent into alcoholism. Hermione wasn't entirely sure if she was responsible for it in some part. She had rendered him infertile, something that countered one of his defining personality characteristics. But she knew that he had other demons, including the way that he treated Marius, and of course that his daughter was living unchaperoned in France.

Hermione hadn't spoken to Cassiopeia since she'd moved to France, giving up on writing kind little notes to the girl when it was clear that they weren't welcomed from _her_. Still, rumors about the eldest Black daughter swirled in polite pureblood society. There was discussion that she'd taken a half-blood lover. Honestly, Hermione hoped that she had, and that she was able to find some happiness with him, even if her prejudiced upbringing wouldn't allow her to marry the man.

Cygnus was actually in France for the week to go and visit Cassiopeia, to see how she was faring and to beg her to return home for the one hundredth time. Hermione had tried as gently as possible to let him know it was a lost cause, but he didn't want to hear anything about it. Hermione didn't argue too much, as it meant that she could spend an actual evening with Radalphus.

She'd slipped away to his home easily enough, and she'd been happy to prepare a meal with him. It was a bit unusual that he knew how to cook, but she wasn't complaining. "There were no house elves in my house, ma mie." He said with an indulgent smile. Radalphus was happy to feed Delph too, who was growing so rapidly. She was already beginning to think of how she could keep his interactions with Radalphus a secret, seeing as he was nearing the age where he would lack a filter. Luckily, Cygnus wasn't around him enough that he hadn't even noticed that Delph didn't call him "dada".

Looking up at her two handsome men, Hermione noticed a thoughtful look on Radalphus's face. "What is it?" She asked curiously, seeing that he looked like he needed a push to get the ball rolling.

He frowned, looking at Delph in his lap, before turning his face to look at Hermione. The pair of them looked _so much_ alike. "I...I want to tell Edmond and Mercedes about Delphinus. The truth." He said, stumbling over his words a bit. It was so unlike her normally suave lover, who always knew exactly what to say. Hermione knew that he must be struggling with the decision. "They are old enough. I know that they could be trusted to keep a secret."

Hermione felt her heart lurch at the words. Telling _anyone_ was a huge risk, and she wasn't sure if she was willing to take it. What if Radalphus's children hated her and tried to out her to the Black family? "I haven't even told Tom." Hermione said quietly, eyebrows knitted together in concern. She hadn't even begun to think how Tom would take it. Would he just be so glad that the baby wasn't Cygnus's that he would be willing to let her transgressions go?

"It is important." Radalphus implored. "He is their brother and they have a right to know."

She nodded, knowing that he was telling the truth. It would be uncomfortable, yes, but it was true that they had a right to know. Just...was now really the right time? Or was she only holding herself back because she knew that it was going to be difficult. "Please, just give me a little more time. And then we will tell Edmond, Mercedes and Tom all at once. I promise."

Seeing the bright smile on Radalphus's face was reward enough for her. But now she just needed to make good on his promise.

* * *

 **December 19th, 1943**

Hermione knew that Cygnus was in a terrible mood the moment that he walked into the library. He never came looking for her unless he wanted something. He'd been grousing around like a bear ever since he'd returned home from France the week, having been unsuccessful in convincing Cassiopeia in returning to England with him. Even the promise of a dower house hadn't been able to convince the girl.

She'd been sitting in the library, on the floor not far from the large fireplace, playing with Delph, while Seamus lay with his back towards the fire, his tongue lolling out of his head. He'd definitely slowed down as he'd gotten older, but the large Irish Wolfhound had been a constant and faithful companion to Hermione, and once he'd arrived, Delph.

Before Hermione really knew what was happening, Cygnus was hauling her up by the shoulders. She let out a yelp, feeling how tight his grip was on her upper arms. "Cygnus!" She cried, indignantly, grappling for her wand, but unable to get it from where it lay on the floor. "What on Earth are you doing?" She hissed vehemently.

"You know, Hermione, I had the weirdest thing happen to me today." Cygnus said, his grey eyes hard like slate, and completely unforgiving. "Would you like to know what it was, _wife?_ "

"Let me go, Cygnus!" Hermione urged, trying to pull away from him. She pressed her hands on his chest, wanting to get away. "And let's talk about this like rational adults. Whatever it is, I am sure we can fix it." She managed to get one of her shoulders free from his tight grip, only to have him grab onto her wrist instead.

He squeezed tightly, and Hermione groaned feeling the pain running down into her fingers. "I was at Gringotts, trying to sort out Cassiopeia's allowance, and I learned the most interesting thing." His words turned her blood to ice. "I learned that Delphinus _Black_ has an account opened there, and that _Radalphus fucking Lestrange_ has been making monthly payments to that account."

Hermione blinked back tears from her eyes, trying to get a hold of her emotions so that she could control the situation. "Cygnus. Be reasonable." Hermione said, trying to keep her voice even, even though her heart was galloping. She had the sickening realization that she was truly afraid of Cygnus. She was at his mercy and couldn't get to her wand, and she had her baby to protect. "There must have been a mistake."

Cygnus laughed in her face. "Oh really, Hermione? Gringotts made a mistake? Do you honestly believe the lies that come out of your mouth?" He was so cold that Hermione wondered what had happened to the charming man that she'd married. Did he ever actually exist or was he just a beautiful facade?

"I don't know." Hermione said desperately, pulling her hand back, but was unable to get it free. He just squeezed it harder.

"Or is the truth that Delphinus Black, isn't really a Black at all?" Cygnus finally asked.

Suddenly, Hermione became angry. How dare he suddenly be so concerned with Delphinus when she couldn't even remember the last time that Cygnus had even picked up or held Delphinus? Cygnus couldn't have taken a smaller role in Delphinus's life if he'd tried. "Don't ask me that, Cygnus. You might not like the answer." She hissed back.

She saw the flash of hurt on his face, before he scowled, showing his teeth. It was clear that he was disgusted with her, and pushed her away until she fell on the floor. She was momentarily afraid that he would do something to the baby, only, in typical _indifferent_ Cygnus fashion, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Crawling over to her baby, Hermione held him to her breast. If there was one thing that was clear, she knew that she needed to get away from Cygnus once and for all. The only thing was, she had no idea how to do it.

* * *

 **December 22nd, 1943**

Hermione had been so glad to have Tom home for the holidays. Even though she had baby Delph to keep her company, it only made her long for the days when Tom was still small and he would spend all day with her, exploring in the garden or reading in the library. She wrote to him quite regularly, but she knew that it wasn't the same as spending quality time together. She absolutely didn't want him to think that she was replacing him with Delphinus.

In preparation for his return, Hermione had spent all sorts of time with little Delph, teaching him to say 'Tom' and she'd been so eager to show off her son's new skill for his older brother, as soon as she'd picked him up from the Hogwarts Express. Cygnus had been noticeably absent, but Tom was never too bothered by that. Ever since their altercation, Cygnus hadn't been sleeping in her bed, owing to some very strong warding on her part. Whether he spent his time with Irma or sleeping in his study, Hermione didn't know or care.

Tom seemed to be taking better to the baby now, too, seeing as he was a bit more interesting. He'd even held the baby after dinner - Delph was a bit wiggly, but Tom seemed to be pretty confident with her infant son.

Realizing how preposterous this all seemed, Hermione looked hard at Tom. This was a boy who was meant to grow up and become a wizard so dark, a sorcerer so great, that everyone wouldn't dare to say his name. Only, with a little love and attention, he'd grown into a very ambitious and well-mannered boy. He'd worked so very hard as a clerk that past summer for Gareth, and she'd only heard good things. It was clear that Tom Riddle was going places.

She often agonized over whether she'd made the right decision in coming back to the past, but it was moments like these when she was confident she had. After all, in his unaltered timeline, he would have already killed his biological father by now, wouldn't he have? And, from everything she'd heard, no students had been killed either, which meant that Myrtle was still alive and well, he life not cut short by a boy calling himself Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin. He'd stayed good, thanks to her influence.

Only, Hermione thought that he looked a bit different. That there was something new about him. Was there some new hardness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Let me get a look at you." She said, reaching out to him, and pressing her hands on his cheeks. "Have you done something different or are you just growing up?" She asked with a teasing voice.

She noticed, then, a slight pause, before he smiled at her, and his face was once again the picture of boyish charm. "Well, I do have to shave every day, now, mum. Maybe that's it." He said with a grin, before his eyes darted to her wrist.

Hermione had been wearing long sleeves, her bruise paste not quite able to heal the marks that Cygnus had left on her wrist when he'd grabbed her. Hermione flinched when he grabbed her hand delicately, but he didn't let it go. Gently pulling up the fabric, Tom revealed the handprint shaped bruise. His dark eyes met hers, and his nostrils flared as he tried to keep hold of his emotions. "Mother, what is this?" He demanded.

She felt a bit silly, the way that she just crumbled under Tom's questioning, but she knew that she couldn't keep it a secret from her son. "Cygnus and I had a disagreement." She said, blinking back tears. It was shocking to see the yellow and purple marks, a reminder of what her husband had done to her.

Tom's jaw set viciously, as he tried to keep his anger under his control, but she could tell that he was seething. "This cannot happen to you. He shouldn't lay a finger on you." Tom hissed, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist, as though he were trying to kiss her boo-boo better.

It was lovely to see how much he cared about her, but seeing how upset he was, how much anger he had inside of him was also a bit chilling. Still, his words only confirmed what Hermione already knew. She nodded slowly. "Yes, I know. I have been making arrangements for Delphinus and I to leave as soon as possible. I am going to get out of this mess."

He stood, his brother balanced on his hip awkwardly, while he wrapped her into a fierce hug. She let out a deep breath, knowing that her two boys were all she really needed. She loved Radalphus as well, but, she had to think of her children primarily. Tom pressed his face into the top of her head and hugged her tighter, before letting go of a shaking breath as his body relaxed. "I will take care of you, mum. I promise."

* * *

 **December 23rd, 1943**

After his mum had fallen asleep, Tom had searched his trunk with its false bottom, and retrieved Slytherin's locket. Last time, he'd been unprepared and taken by surprise, but this time he would be prepared. Then, he'd crept down to the first floor where he hoped he would catch his step-father completely unaware when he came home from his most recent tryst. The room was completely dark, save the flickering flames in the fireplace, and Tom stayed hidden in the shadows.

Surprisingly, it hadn't been a difficult decision of what he was going to do to Cygnus. It couldn't stand that he would let that... _animal_ hurt his mother, push her around. He thought about Alfie Nott and how well he'd kept his own father's abuse hidden, and he wondered if his mum had been doing the same. The thought of it happening right under his nose had his body singing with white hot rage.

Cygnus needed to be exterminated, once and for all.

Briefly, he thought about his little brother, and wondered if he should actually kill Cygnus, if it meant depriving the boy of his father. But then, he thought about the way that Cygnus had treated Pollux and Cassiopeia and Marius and Dorea, and he realized that the man could only be a negative in Delph's life. Tom was comforted by the thought of the basilisk, guarding Hogwarts from the unworthy. In a way, he was only doing the same thing, guarding his family.

He couldn't stop the smirk from his face when he thought about Cygnus being an unwilling participant to his rise to power. With two horcruxes, he could be positive that he'd be invincible once he became Minister of Magic. The thought made what he was planning so much easier.

True, he'd been horrified after he'd killed his uncle, as he hadn't been planning it at all. Later, once he was alone with his thoughts, he realized that he'd done the world a favor. Such a terrible human shouldn't be allowed to continue to live. He'd been concerned that having a murder on his soul would have noticeable changes, but to his relief, he couldn't tell anything different. He'd been a bit worried when his mum had asked him if there was something different about him earlier. After all, dark magic left it's mark on you.

Before he could think on the implications of casting the Killing Curse any longer, the fireplace was flaring green, and Cygnus was stumbling out. It took Tom about five seconds to realize that the man was drunk, and judging by his stench and the disarray of his clothing, he figured his was correct in the assumption that Cygnus was coming home from a tryst.

" _Silenco. Expelliarmus._ " He cast the spells calmly, and watched in joy as Cygnus was taken completely by surprise, grey eyes widening as he realized his step-son held his wand. "Sit down, Cygnus. We have much to discuss." He said, an edge of fury slipping into his voice, while he kept his wand trained on the older man.

To his surprise, Cygnus held up his arms in surrender, while he walked slowly to his chair. The man tried to speak, or bargain Tom was sure, but it didn't do him any good while he couldn't make a peep. It was fun to watch him become progressively more distressed as the seconds ticked by. His eyes darted to the bottle of firewhiskey that lay haphazard on the desk, and the full glass that set next to it. Let it never be said that Tom didn't know how to set the scene.

Tom's smirk was quickly replaced by a sneer at the pathetic man. "Now, Cygnus, you've been very very naughty, haven't you?" Tom asked, his voice teasing. "You've been cheating on my mum for years and years, and I never said anything about it because I didn't want to hurt her needlessly." Cygnus seemed to be arguing something, but Tom couldn't be arsed to figure out what it was. Anything that came out of the blond's mouth was likely to be lies anyway. "But, then, today I found out you went and did something that makes me really mad. You hurt her physically."

He watched while Cygnus gripped the sides of the chair he was sitting in in fear, but wisely, he didn't try to make any moves to get free. "You know I can't let this happen. I need my mother to be free from you, but unfortunately, you took vows. Until death do you part." He smirked, seeing the realization wash over Cygnus's face. "Now, you just close your eyes and this will be over in a flash."

Cygnus shook his head, his eyes wide and fearful. "No?" Tom asked. "I could just imperious you if you think this will make it easier for you to behave." He rolled his wand lazily in his fingers. The blond shook his head again, before he squeezed his eyes shut. His face was distorted in fear, and Tom couldn't have that. He didn't want any investigation to come of Cygnus's death. "Relax." Tom whispered. "You won't feel a thing."

He watched as Cygnus took a deeper breath to try and calm his body, but he couldn't quite get a handle on his erratic breathing. Still, his face relaxed, until only his eyebrows were knitted together in confusion while the seconds ticked by.

" _Avada Kedavra._ " Tom cast the spell, letting years of built up rage for the man roll out of him. The bolt of green light hit the man square in the chest, until he was frozen in that position, dead. Immediately, Tom grabbed the locket and got to work forcing his soul fragment into the family heirloom.

Later, when he dragged his pale, sweaty and exhausted body back into his bed, he lied awake in the bed, knowing that he'd done the right thing for his mum, even though he didn't think that she would see it that way.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! You guys are amazing and I am loving the response to last chapter! I know many people are glad that Cygnus is gone, but not so thrilled that it was Tom. I promise this isn't going to devolve into a murder fest! So, we recently passed 1500 reviews on this story! I am so blown away, so I wanted to right another little drabble for Bits and Pieces. If you want to send me a suggestion, you can do so on tumblr (nauticalparamour) - you can send me an ask (anonymously or not) and I will pick one that I like and post it to bits and pieces. Let me know if you have any questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-four and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-five soon!

* * *

 **January 3rd, 1944**

It was embarrassing to admit it, but Hermione had to charm her eyes to give them the appearance of being puffy and red before her husband's funeral. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't conjure up any tears for the man who'd progressively terrorized her life. She had been planning on leaving him, before he died, anyway.

But no one knew that, she she had to play the role of the dutiful, heartbroken widow.

The shock of waking up to Opal standing over her bed had let Hermione know that something was well and truly wrong. She didn't believe that Cygnus was _actually_ dead, until the house elf brought her into Cygnus's study, and then she'd fallen to her knees, screaming…

Tom had come running, confused and still half-asleep, but he'd been so helpful to her in the ensuing days. He'd wrapped her up into a protective embrace, before he shuffled her off to her bedroom to lie down and look after Delph. He'd called Sirius and Ursula to let them know that their brother and son had passed.

Hermione felt like such a wretched mother, because for a moment, she wondered if Tom was in some way responsible for the death. After all, it happened the same night that she told her son about how Cygnus had grabbed her. But, the healers that examined his body determined that it was likely caused by years of drinking too much alcohol - his liver was very damaged after all. Also, Hermione had seen Cygnus's body before it was moved, and she knew that he didn't look like normal victims of the killing curse. Still, the coincidence of it all had given her pause.

But then, Tom had been such a help to her, taking care of Delphinus while she worked with the Black family to sort all of the details. "I know it is no secret that I didn't particularly care for Cygnus," He said off-hand one day, bouncing the toddler on his knee, "But I am sorry that Delph won't grow up with his father."

Hermione had nibbled her lower lip, thinking on his words, wondering if she should just tell him the truth. "Tom, about that-" She said, before cutting herself off, seeing the inquisitive look on his face. No, if she was going to tell him, she would have to talk to Radalphus first. It wasn't fair to Edmond and Mercedes. "Thank you, for taking such good care of me, of Delph. I really appreciate it."

But, the day of Cygnus's funeral had finally rolled around, and Hermione could finally get some peace from the Blacks. She was sure that as soon as he was in the ground, the rest of them would go back to ignoring her. All that was left was one last performance.

Wizarding funerals were different than muggle ones, but Hermione didn't have to do much other than look extremely upset, and give a little sniffle now and again. Black wives did not wail and throw themselves around and make a scene. It was easy for her to just focus on Delphinus in her arms and cuddle him to protect him from the cold.

Still, she could hear all the whispers around her, about how Delphinus was so young, and how it was dreadful that he wouldn't have his father in his life. She didn't miss the hints of how she was somehow unfit to raise Delph. Hermione was sure that it was because, even after so many years - nearly twenty years! - in England, she was still seen as an outsider. Tom must have heard the whispers too, because he stood next to her, ramrod straight, and wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight to his chest. She wondered if this was an unconscious attempt to shield her from the outside world.

After the funeral was completed, Hermione walked over to Sirius. Surprisingly, the Black family didn't try to comfort her at all, and she wondered if they knew that their marriage was dead. Ursula looked gray and older than she'd ever seen her, but Sirius looked the same as always, a strong, weathered front for the family.

"Sirius, I know it might seem a bit early to bring this up, but…" Hermione trailed off, knowing that it was indelicate to do this at the funeral. "There is the matter of Cygnus's Wizengamot seat. Pollux has his own already, so the seat would go to Delphinus, only, he's too little right now. Let me take over his seat, only until Delph is old enough." She begged.

It was a bit vulgar, she knew, to try and put another man's child on Cygnus's seat, but she wasn't going to let this kind of opportunity pass her by. Hermione wanted to continue to change the wizarding world for the better, and being part of the legislature was a surefire way to do that. And now, she had the unusual chance of _actually_ getting a spot. She wasn't going to let this pass her by.

Sirius gave a funny little smile, as though he thought she was some kind of pitiful fool. "You are right, Hermione. It is too early to bring this up." Before she could try to argue with him again, though, he was turning on his heel, leaving her standing in the snow.

* * *

 **March 15th, 1944**

Tom had been working with Melanie for several months at this point, and he couldn't deny that his feelings for her had only grown. He knew most of the other boys in Slytherin wouldn't give her a second look, on account of her being a half-blood, but Tom didn't have such hangups. She was rather pretty, and he'd noticed boys in other houses giving her appreciative glances when she wasn't looking.

Still, it was _him_ that she spent her time with in the library, not Jeremy Fitzgerald or Oscar Green or Dan Cather or James Wyndham. He coveted those times alone with her, when she gave him secret smiles that he hoped she reserved just for him. He'd sit close enough to her that he could smell the scent of her curly hair, and he tried not to get caught in daydreams of delving his fingers into those brown locks.

It was nice that she wasn't a complete simpleton either. Melanie certainly wasn't as smart as he was, but she didn't hide her intelligence either, like some of the girls in Slytherin house did. Why they thought that boys would like them more if they acted like empty headed chirping birds, he'd never know. Melanie was always up for a good debate or argument too, her only flaw being that she didn't know when to let things go.

The times when she mouthed off to him were the times that had produced some of the vivid of his daydreams. He must have imagined seventy different ways that he could shut up her mouth, when she pushed him just a _little_ bit too far. He wondered what it was about her that he tolerated such disrespect. If she were Abraxas...well, he was quick with a hex. Instead, he found he actually _enjoyed_ their banter.

He didn't have much experience with girls, true, but based on her behavior, Tom rather thought that she might enjoy it too. Melanie had steadily been sitting closer and closer to him, until they got to the point that their shoulders would brush together while reading over textbooks. Sometimes she stared at him with her lips parted, and her pink tongue would dart out to wet her lips, and then let her eyes drop to his own lips. But, they still hadn't gone any farther than just being friends. He hadn't even held her hand.

That day, in the library, she proudly showed off her most recent exam to him. Melanie's body was turned to face him, like a sunflower chasing the sun, and he tried not to let his eyes dip down to the pale expanse of skin under her blouse. "I never told you thank you for helping me, Tommy. My scores have really improved."

"I'm happy to help, Melanie. You are an apt student." He wondered if she wanted him as much as he wanted her. There was only one way for him to find out, and he found that he was only holding back out of fear of rejection. But, why should he fear rejection? If she didn't want to go out with him, he was certain that Gemma would be more than happy to be lead on until he could heal his wounded _feelings_.

Deciding that he needed to be bold for once, go after what he wanted not by subtly manipulating, but rather by _taking_ what he wanted. His eyes dipped to her lips, and he watched in surprise as her breath hitched, and her own brown eyes drooped shut. Almost imperceptibly, she leaned into him, and he knew that this was his chance.

Clenching his eyes shut, he surged forward until his lips met her's. She felt lovely, petal soft, against his own lips. The instant that they connected, she was surging against him, her hands bunching into the fabric of his uniform shirt, pulling herself closer to him. Tentatively, Tom let his tongue trace the seam of her lips, and his heart surged when she yielded to him, letting him inside her.

His head was spinning at the feel of her submitting herself to him completely. He pressed his hands into her hair, using his hold to position her just the way that he wanted her, her breasts pressed against his chest, until she was practically in his lap. He hoped that his lack of experience in this pastime didn't go noticed by her. As if she were trying to assuage his fears, her tiny moan of pleasure was music to his ears, pleased to know that _he_ was the cause of her body's reaction.

His own body's reaction had him pulling back so that he didn't embarrass himself. He wasn't used to this kind of interaction and he didn't want to do anything _wrong_. He stared down at Melanie, her cheeks flushed and lips bruised, and he was filled with an intense feeling of pride at what he was able to do to her.

He rewarded the dazed girl with a boyish grin.

* * *

 **April 19th, 1944**

When she'd received the first note, more than a month ago, Hermione had thrown it away. She didn't particularly care for anything that Dumbledore had to say about her son, especially since it was clear that he had something against Tom, even when he was just a third year. With what she knew about Albus Dumbledore from the future, Hermione was disheartened to think that he might have counted Tom out for no good reason.

He just had a half-cocked theory about love potions and emotion, and he hadn't given a damn about Tom Riddle until it was too late. Except Hermione _had_ given a damn about Tom, and he'd been transformed from Dark Lord into exceptionally bright and charming young man. She fully believed that he could become Minister of Magic someday.

But then, Dumbledore had sent another note. And another note. And another. Until they were finally arriving daily. Then, she'd caved and agreed to meet him at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village.

Now, though, Hermione was questioning what it was that had made her give in. She was nearly positive that there was nothing that Dumbledore could tell her about Tom that she didn't already know. She just hoped he wasn't going to come try to harebrained plan that involved her and her son. She remembered the way that Dumbledore had treated Harry, relying completely on a prophecy that ended up being total rubbish. How such a smart man could put so much faith into the words of a seer was beyond her.

She'd decided to let him wait a little while, and swept in fashionably late. Her wardrobe had recently begun to include color again, after months of wearing mourning black, to Radalphus's chagrin. She'd swept in wearing a set of deep burgundy robes that were far more ostentatious than what she would usually wear, but she didn't want the _great_ Albus Dumbledore to think he could push her around.

"Madame Black." Dumbledore said, standing from his place at a back booth. He took her hand and pulled her in to press a kiss against her cheek. It made Hermione's stomach roll. "Thank you for meeting me. I was so sorry to hear of your husband's passing."

Hermione pursed her lips together, wondering if he was sincere. She doubted it, seeing as Cygnus rarely had a positive thing to say about Dumbledore. "Thank you for your condolences." Hermione said anyway, before sitting down opposite him. "Now, what is it that you wanted to discuss, that it was so necessary to send me so many requests?" She stared at him, her brown eyes hard. She didn't want to give him the impression that this was going to be an _easy_ conversation.

"It's about your adopted son, I'm afraid." Dumbledore said. "Have you noticed anything different about him lately?"

Hermione rankled at the way that he said adopted. Yes, most people knew that she'd adopted Tom, but most people also accepted that she saw him as her own and there was no need to differentiate him from Delphinus. "My _son_ seems just the same as always." Hermione said sharply. "He is an ambitious, well-mannered boy, who is a prefect at _your_ school, has excellent marks, and would like to pursue a job in the Ministry."

"Madame Black, I implore you to see reason." Dumbledore said, looking over the edges of his half-moon glasses. "Surely you must have noticed the changes in him. I can sense that he's been practicing dark magic."

She pulled her lips back, baring her teeth to the older man. "You've always had it out for Tommy, haven't you, Professor Dumbledore? I should have known, three years ago, that you were going to try and meddle in our lives. The only question is why?"

"Dark magic always leaves it's mark." Dumbledore said, sadly. "I can sense it in him. Please tell me he hasn't hoodwinked you into believing he is a good boy." He looked down at the table sadly. "I know what it's like, because, I was once very nearly lead down the same path, seduced by the Dark Arts, with my old friend, Gellert Grindelwald. Unfortunately, I only figured out the damage dark magic does when I'd already paid a great price."

Hermione sucked her breath in, realizing that he was talking about his sister, Arianna. "Tom isn't like you." Hermione said firmly. "You are just seeing what you want...and why? Because Tom is well liked by the other teachers and more intelligent than you?"

Dumbledore looked like he was going to try to say something else, but Hermione held up her hand, shaking her head. "No, we are done talking. I won't listen to any other lies that you have to say about Tom." She insisted, leaving the table in a swirl of robes.

Her son was a good man. She was positive.

* * *

 **May 31st, 1944**

It had been weeks, and many, many little _chats_ with Sirius, but she still hadn't heard anything about Cygnus's open Wizengamot seat. Hermione was worried that he was just going to try and have his son Regulus take over the seat, saving them the trouble of petitioning for and winning an additional seat, leaving Delphinus without his assumed birthright.

Hermione had quickly learned that if she wanted anything in this society, she would basically have to take it, snatch it out of someone else's hands. She'd had to use magic to get custody of Tom, she'd had to become an adulteress to find love, and now, if she wanted to participate in the Wizengamot, she would need to take that seat too.

She dressed practically that day, and asked Dorea to watch Delph while she was out. Once she got to the Ministry, she waited outside of the chambers where the Wizengamot met, until a large crowd had assembled, waiting to be let inside. To her delight, Sirius seemed determined to show up as close to the start time as possible, which meant that there would be lots of witnesses.

When he finally showed his face, Sirius looked surprised and concerned to see her there. "Hermione? What are you doing out of the house?"

Hermione gave him a small little smirk, before raising her voice so that everyone in the atrium would hear. "Sirius Black, I challenge you for the rights to Cygnus Black's Wizengamot seat, to be decided by duel." Hermione drew her wand with a flourish, easily slipping back into the defensive posture that she'd perfected during the war.

A hush fell over the atrium, as everyone waited with bated breath for what Sirius was going to say. To her disappointment, he started laughing. "Hermione, don't be silly. You know that pureblood women should not be dueling." An unsteady laugh rippled through the crowd, though not everyone seemed to share his sentiment. Hermione made a brief eye contact with Radalphus before returning her focus to Sirius.

"Really?" Hermione asked, trying to sound bored. "Does that mean you forfeit, Sirius?" She taunted him. "Too afraid that you might lose to me." Hermione knew that she would have to goad him into accepting. And questioning his masculinity and putting his pride on the line in front of so many of his peers was the way to do it.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, a drained look on his face. Hermione was reminded that he was much older than he sometimes seemed. Still, he drew his wand. "If this is the way you want to do this, Hermione." He said, before bowing.

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at the standard dueling procedure, reminded of a former defense against the dark arts professor who told them that the Death Eaters wouldn't be bowing in a duel. She was reminded of just how...soft this society was, having never truly faced a threat like what Voldemort would have been.

They began trading volleys, back and forth, most of which Hermione easily avoided with a formidable shield charm. She wondered if that was the first indication to Sirius that he might have underestimated her. Deciding to show all of the men what she was _really_ capable of, Hermione stopped shouting out her spells like a first year, content to cast wordlessly.

Hermione sent a barrage of jinxes and charms his way in rapid succession, each one getting closer and closer to Sirius. She wondered if he knew that she was just toying with him, and that she could have ended this in two spells if she'd wanted to. He'd underestimated her, just like she had been her whole life. He was slow and was held back by thinking that she wasn't a real threat. Instead, he was content to send _weak_ spells her way, perhaps thinking that he was going to take it easy on her.

His own shield fell to her bombarda, and Hermione knew that it was time to stop toying and end this once and for all. She sent several spells his way, watching with dispassion while he stumbled over his feet, trying to move backwards. Hermione walked calmly towards him before sending a petrificus totalus that had him frozen and falling backwards.

She strode forward, until she was standing over his prone body, her wand trained on his body. "Do you yield to me?" Hermione asked, another smirk falling onto her face when gasps rang out through the atrium.

Of course, Hermione knew that Sirius would yield to her, even though her had the unfortunate issue of not being able to talk or move. Casting a finite his way, she declined to help him up from where he was sprawled on the ground. Instead, she turned to walk into the Wizengamot chambers, with her head held high. "Where are you going?" Sirius called after her when she reached the door.

Hermione turned to look at him. "To take _my_ seat." She said sternly, trying not to let the giddy feeling of success overrun her.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N:** Thank you all so so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know all of you are eager for the truth to come out about Delphinus, but you will have to wait a bit longer...I hope that you like this chapter though. It ends with kind of a cliffhanger :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-five and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-six soon!

* * *

 **June 5th, 1944**

With word of how well he'd done as a clerk for Gareth Greengrass the year before, Tom had gotten numerous offers from different families to clerk for them instead. After all, it was no secret that Gareth had gotten nearly all of his proposed legislation completed and that he'd been one of the most prolific members the summer before. It had gotten around that his young clerk was part of the reason he'd done so well.

It took him several weeks to sift through all of the offers and decide who he wanted to work for. He'd been surprised that his step-brother, Pollux, had extended him an offer, seeing as he'd been snubbed by the family the year before. A hastily scrawled note indicated that it was against the advice of Sirius Black, who was still quiet embarrassed to have been bested by Tom's mum.

Tom was excited to have him mum working at the Wizengamot as well. Of course, he couldn't work with her - that was the definition of nepotism - but he was excited to talk with her over dinner about the cases that were being tried or whatever arguments were going before the group. He couldn't wait to get her insight on some of the things, because his mum really had some radical ideas about the group. She insisted that they were all stuck in the past, and in some cases, Tom was inclined to agree.

In the end, he's received fifteen offers. He thought about joining Gareth again, but he wanted to spread his wings and broaden his influence. He was pretty sure he would have the support of the Greengrasses based on their relationship with his mother and the impression that he'd left on Gareth the year previously. He knew that his friends from Hogwarts would support him, but he needed to bring their patriarchs on board as well. It was time that he showed the wizarding world what he was capable of.

In the end, he decided to go with Radalphus Lestrange. Apparently, Edmond had no desire to work in government, preferring the world of finance. He'd secured an internship at Gringott's for the summer and so Tom knew that there would be no hurt feelings from the boy if he took a spot that could have gone to Edmond instead. He wanted to get to know the man a bit better, knowing that he and his mum always seemed quite friendly with one another when they saw each other.

He'd only met with Radalphus once so far, but already he was excited about the man's vision for the wizarding world. He was one of the few people that seemed to have positive feelings about less than purebloods. He thought that people should be judged on their merit rather than their blood status, noting that many half-bloods were incredibly talents wizards and witches. That was something Tom definitely agreed with, though he was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of muggles. Everything he'd seen of them so far (except for Marius, though he didn't really count did he, seeing as he was just a squib?) was that they were violent, confused and sad. Muggleborns could be molded, of course, much like Salazar Slytherin had said in his journal.

Tom hoped to start polishing up what was going to become his own platform for when he eventually ran for Minister of Magic. He knew that right now everyone was frightened of Grindelwald, and so their primary concerns were being kept safe. But, eventually, Grindelwald would be gone and you needed something else to keep the citizens excited about you. After all, you couldn't only campaign on protection from terror.

* * *

 **July 1st, 1944**

Hermione looked up from her paperwork when she heard someone entering her office at the Wizengamot Chambers. To her delight, it was Radalphus, looking more handsome than ever. His brown eyes made no secret that he was drinking in her form when he leaned against the door, using his wandless magic to lock the door behind him.

Knowing what it was that he wanted, Hermione used her own wand to silence her chambers, before waving his finger at him so that he would cross the distance between them. Seeing as they both worked at the Wizengamot now, trysts happened with more and more frequency. It reminded Hermione of the times when they had first begun their affair, when they'd been randy at having each other while everything was so new, and with the added excitement of sneaking around behind Cygnus's back.

"I only have a short while. I've given young Thomas half an hour for lunch." Radalphus said, leaning against her desk, and pulling her against him. His pressed hot, open mouthed kisses up and down her neck that had her panting against him.

Hermione let her head drop back, exposing more of herself to him. "I need you." She said, feeling the lust zing through her body at the thought of having him inside her. It was true that she was a little disappointed that Radalphus had never asked for _more_ with her since Cygnus had died, but the truth was that she loved him so much, she could be content with what they had for now.

Radalphus spun her around, before lifting her up against the dress. His large hands found the hem of her robes, before sliding up the smooth skin of her calves. His finger tips teased their way up past her knees, along her inner thigh, until they were grasping the edge of her knickers, pulling them down her legs eagerly.

Propped up on her elbows, Hermione watched as Radalphus sunk into the chair, spreading her legs on either side of him. Her body was tight in anticipation as she watched him lean forward, to press an open mouthed kiss to her sex. His tongue easily found the pearl at the top of her sex, lapping against her gently, while he used two of his long fingers to enter her. Hermione moaned, and let herself fall to the desk, letting the sensation wash over her. Radalphus always seemed to know _exactly_ what she needed, and he quickly had her teetering on the edge. "Oh please, Radalphus!" She begged, needing him to let her slip into the bliss that only he could give her.

She thought she could feel him smile against her, but still he obliged, his lips against her as he increased his pace, his fingers working inside of her, until she was fluttering and pulsing around him in orgasm. His name was ripped from her lips.

While she lay there boneless, she was once against glad that she'd silenced the room. She wouldn't want anyone to know what she got up to while she was in here, with the man who was most definitely not her husband.

Radalphus stood, having freed his hard cock from his trousers. He used his wet fingers to grip himself, before lining himself up with her entrance. He entered her slowly, but with determination. In their years together, Hermione had come to learn that Radalphus was a very giving lover, almost more focused on making sure that she enjoyed herself, drinking in her moans and facial expressions, than he was in his own pleasure.

But, it only made each of their couplings more intense. They moved together, Hermione with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, while he pulled her up to sitting so that he could join their lips in a sensuous kiss. His tonuge wound around hers, mimicing the movement of their bodies, as they moaned into one another, as intimately joined as was possible.

In a rush, Hermione could already feel her walls fluttering again, on the edge of orgasm, waiting to bring Radalphus along with her. He must have felt it too, because his thrusts were becoming more erratic, more harried, with every passing second, until finally, they came together. Hermione's eyes snapped shut tightly, while she enjoyed the feeling of having him inside her once again.

The moment in which they parted came sooner than she wanted, but Hermione knew that they both had work to take care of sooner rather than later. She gave Radalphus a fond smile, and sent a cleansing spell his way, to remove any evidence of their tryst from his body, while he pulled her robes back down from her hips. He pressed one more lingering kiss to her lips before sighing, knowing that they had to be physically parted once more. "I love you, ma mie." He said, brown eyes looking at hers with an emotional intensity that stole her breath.

"I love you, too Radalphus." She whispered back, before watching her lover leave her office once more.

* * *

 **August 17th, 1944**

The letter that he'd been waiting for all summer came in mid-August. Really, there was no other candidate who could have made Head Boy, but to get official word - and the shiny badge to go with it - confirming his appointment was just the cherry on top of a great summer. He'd been a little bit fearful that Professor Dumbledore might yet convince Headmaster Dippet to overlook him.

For whatever reason, the Professor had it out for him from day one, and his scrutiny had only gotten worse after Tom had killed Morfin and Cygnus. It was the closest he was worried about someone figuring out what he'd done, only he was fairly positive that neither murder could be proved. Morfin Gaunt's cottage had gone up in flames, courtesy some local muggle boys who were trying to play a prank (or at least that's what they thought), leaving his body burnt to a crisp. Cygnus's drinking habit had been the undoing of his death investigation, seeing as his heart had given up and he had an extremely scarred liver. So even if Dumbledore got wise on what had happened, Tom was confident that there was no proof linking him to either death.

Though he supposed it was a bit suspicious that the men had him in common.

"Tom, what's that?" His mum asked, looking up from peeling a clementine for Delphinus. The little boy was just over two years old now and had started wanting to do everything for himself. Tom could admit that he found it a little bit amusing.

"My Head Boy badge." He said proudly, giving his mum a broad smile. It was wonderful to know that he had someone in his life who supported him so fully. She was a strong proponent of the belief that you could do anything you set your mind to, and Tom had taken it to heart. Gaining the position of Head Boy was just another stepping stone on his way to becoming Minister of Magic. "It will be difficult with all the studying I will have to do for my NEWTs, but I think I can manage."

"Oh, Tommy, I'm sure you will manage wonderfully." She said, moving around the table to give him a squeeze.

Tom hugged her back, taking a moment to relish in the contact, his face buried in her hair. She smelled like home. While she was distracted, he plucked the peeled clementine from her hand, before pulling back and giving her a cheeky grin. "Thanks mum."

Hermione tried to give him a scolding look, but then her face broke into a smile. She grabbed another clementine from the bowl and started peeling it again, keeping it out of Delph's greedy hands until it was ready to be eaten. "We will have to do something special tonight to celebrate. Perhaps I can owl Dorea to see if she will watch Delph. Or maybe Alphard would like to come over, so he can get some spare pocket change."

"No! Tommy!" Delph cried at the thought of being parted from his brother. Tom found it quite amusing but it became clear that Delph wanted to be just like him. Still, it made him much more aware of his surroundings as well, not wanting to leave a bad behavior on the tyke. His mum would kill him.

His mum smiled at Delph, handing him a section of the sweet fruit, before ruffling his curly brown hair affectionately. Tom felt his heart clench at the little scene. His mum obviously loved Delphinus so much, but it was true what she'd promised. She still had time for him and she never stopped loving him nor did she have less love for him after the baby was born. Delphinus hadn't replaced him in her heart.

And really, Tom found, he really liked the little guy too, even if he had to give Slither a stern reminder that he wasn't a tasty snack. "No, mum, it's okay. You can bring Delphinus along as well. I only have a two more weeks with him anyway." He said, giving her a charming look.

Seeing her brilliant smile in return, so much affection and warmth reflected in her brown eyes, it made Tom know that he'd made the right decision.

* * *

 **September 12th, 1944**

Being Head Boy came with numerous advantages that Tom had never considered. There was a new level of respect that all the students had for him, much more than just being a prefect had given him. Even most of the Gryffindors seemed to agree that he was an 'alright bloke' and couldn't really think of anything to say about him to tarnish his sterling reputation.

He was able to set the patrol schedules, which meant that he always pulled for Melanie to be his patrol partner, no matter how many times the Head Girl, Minerva McGonagall, had tried to tell him that as Heads they should patrol together. Instead, he insisted on 'taking a younger student under his wing' and he found that Minerva couldn't think of a good reason why she shouldn't do the same. Still, he pitied poor Bertie Higgs who had to patrol with her.

Tom had taken advantage of being alone with Melanie to the fullest extent. He enjoyed talking to her mostly, though sometimes she could prattle on about something he found boring. Still, she was a _much_ better conversationalist than Gemma. They would patrol the castle, and then, he always offered to walk her back to Hufflepuff, only to pull her into an empty charms classroom and kiss her silly for a while. He'd even gotten so far as to touch her breast once, though she got quite red in the face after that.

After he was done dropping her off, he would stalk around the castle, looking for the basilisk, or how to get to it. What was the point of having such a fearsome beast if it could never get out of the walls?

To his vast disappointment, it seemed that the basilisk was leading him to the girls' lavatory on the first floor _again_. About half of the time, he ended up there, and the other half, he ended up on a wild goose chase through the castle before he lost it's trail. It was frustrating. What was so special about the girls' lavatory that it would keep going there? Was it possible that the basilisk lived under the bathroom? And if it did, how on Earth would he get there? Maybe the bathroom had been built over the original entrance.

Because it was the middle of the night, and he had no chance of running into a bewildered girl, Tom decided to have a look around for a change. The stalls wielded no additional information about the beast and a pass along the windows showed no kind of entrance or opening to be found. Finally, he walked around the sinks in the center of the room, feeling more and more irritated. If he couldn't figure this out this year, it would forever be in his mind, a curiosity.

As he turned the corner, something on one of the spigots caught his eye. It was so small, he might have walked right past it if he wasn't actively looking for something out of the ordinary. It was a small snake that was carved into the faucet. _This_ certainly looked promising, he thought with a grin.

It wasn't much of a stretch to think he would need to use parseltongue in order to...advance whatever this was, so he whispered out the first word that popped into his mind. " _Open_."

He leapt back out of the way, as the sinks all started to move and reassemble, revealing a large hole in the center of the bathroom. He couldn't stop the smirk that spread across his face, very _pleased_ with himself.

He'd just found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

 **September 27th, 1944**

Hermione apparated back into her bedroom, with Delphinus in toe. She'd been so embarrassed by the fact that she had to leave lunch with Flavia early, but it was necessary. After all, you couldn't throw up in the bathroom and then just be expected to eat lunch normally, could you? Hermione's mind was spinning a mile a minute and she was sure she wouldn't have even been good conversation if she'd stayed.

Setting Delph onto the bed, where Seamus was lying down, Hermione set a few charms so that the little boy wouldn't fall down and accidentally hurt himself. She knew the he would be more than entertained with the dog for a few moments, and the dog was getting so old that he tended to just put up with whatever Delph tried to do to him. Even when he'd had a bout of accidental magic and turned Seamus blue.

Hermione was cursing herself while she walked into her en suite bathroom, tears threatening to spill from her eyes when she thought about the situation that she'd gotten herself into. Of course, she and Radalphus had been...less than careful with the spells once Cygnus had died, but they had never talked about the possibility of having another baby or even a public relationship! While Cygnus was still alive, he'd talked endlessly about wanting to tell the world she was his, but as soon as she became available, he hadn't brought it up again.

She'd missed her period earlier that month, but she'd tried to reassure herself that it was probably just stress. It was her first year in the Wizengamot, after all, and it had actually been quite stressful to prepare for all of the cases. But then, she hadn't been able to forget the morning sickness that she'd been plagued with. Throwing up twice was maybe an odd coincidence, but...three times was enough to have her facing the facts.

Her wand shook in her hand, while she held it over her belly. Yes, of course, pureblood women tended to prefer to have a healer perform the spell because they were so suspicious, Hermione had no qualms about performing it herself. She'd had the spell memorized since her sixth year when she'd had to help a fifth year Hufflepuff who came to her for advice as a prefect.

Closing her eyes, she waved her wand over her abdomen, knowing that she likely already knew what the outcome of the spell would be, but she kept her eyes shut tight, not able to look until she could feel the magic fading. Forcing herself to open them, she gasped.

She strode out of the room, collecting Delphinus from the bed, before opening the floo connection in the fireplace in her bedroom. She couldn't stop herself from crying when she called out Radalphus's home, and walked through the green flames.

Radalphus looked surprised to see her, but seeing her fragile emotional state, he quickly wrapped her in his arms. "Hermione, darling? What's the matter?" He asked, taking Delph into his arms. Seeing his mother so upset had the baby crying in great hiccups, too.

Hermione bit her lower lip, knowing that they were completely unprepared to have this conversation. But she also knew that they couldn't put it off any longer, and decided to just blurt it out. "Radalphus, I'm pregnant."


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! You guys are so wonderful and I am glad that I am able to keep you on your toes with the little twist at the end of last chapter. Oh, I did write a little drabble that is in Bits & Pieces, and it's a chapter from Melanie's POV if you want to go check that out. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-six and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-seven soon!

* * *

 **September 30th, 1944**

Tom enjoyed hearing the little noises that he could coax out of Melanie's throat when he kissed her. She gave into _him_ so easily, yielding to his hands in her curly hair, holding her exactly the way he wanted her, even if he was certain it was less than comfortable for her. Still, she would press her body against him, holding his arms tightly, her lower body making little unconscious movements.

Still, he was getting frustrated of just these brief moments. He wanted to do more with her, experience more with her, but there moments were so fleeting. He knew that he would need to take control of the situation if he ever wanted to go further about it. Melanie would never push for more - girls were too used to staying demure. And if they talked about it, well...that would just bring feelings into the mix and that was a conversation that he didn't want to have.

He pressed her back against the wall, one hand was pressed into her hair still, but he let the other drop, down to her leg. Tom used a knew to separate her legs, and she made a little noise of protest before it devolved into a moan, and the feeling of his pelvis cradled by her welcoming hips. His hand traced along the bare skin of her leg, between her skirt and her knee socks, and gently began to lift.

His heart quickened at the thought that he might actually be getting somewhere with her. He wanted to feel what sex was like, knowing that it was likely good if it drove men wild, chasing after skirts. Hell, working at the Wizengamot, he knew about more affairs than he'd like to know.

Only, he quickly realized that Melanie was pressing against him, pressing him _away_ from her. She wrenched her mouth away from his. "Tom, stop." She said, her hands never stopping her aim to get him away.

He felt disappointment creeping in his stomach. His lips dropped to her neck and he tried to pepper kisses up and down her neck, remembering that Edmond said that usually went over well. Melanie moaned again, but as soon as he pressed his pelvis against her's again, she was pressing him away once again. "No, Tom, stop."

Knowing that he wouldn't take her against her will, Tom pulled away, letting her leg fall back to the floor. "What is it Melanie? I thought we were having a good time." Tom asked, keeping his voice even, not wanting her to get a hint of how mad he was.

"I just...I wanted to slow down a bit." Melanie said, biting her lower lip. "Don't you think that things are moving a little fast?" She wouldn't meet his eyes, and he wondered why that was.

"I thought this was a natural progression of our relationship, Melanie." He said, knowing that he was patronizing her, but he was annoyed with her timeline. What about what he wanted?

"Well, it's just that we aren't in a relationship, are we Tommy?" Melanie asked, meeting his eyes. "You've never once asked me to Hogsmeade, and it's not as if other boys haven't. There is just something different about you now, isn't there? You've changed. I'll never forget the boy who stood up to Jeremy for me, but now you're so...hard, dark."

He sneered at her. "Well if so many other boys are eager to take you to _Hogsmeade_ why don't you go with one of them instead?" He spat out, annoyed that she would flaunt other boys in front of him. Did she think that it would make him _jealous?_ He was Tom Riddle. He wasn't jealous of anyone. "Go on then."

Melanie looked _sorry_ for a moment, as though she were going to say something, only to think twice. She had tears in her eyes when she ran away from the empty classroom.

* * *

 **October 1st, 1944**

Hermione sat nervously on the couch in the library at Black Manor, waiting for Sirius and Ursula to show up. She had Radalphus's hand in a tight hold, likely cutting off his circulation. Still, it was nice to know that he was there to help her, even though she'd promised she could handle her in-laws on her own.

When she'd stumbled into Radalphus's home, crying and worried over the fact that she was pregnant, _again_ , she'd never expected him to sweep her off her feet and propose to her on the spot. She'd been so confused that she almost couldn't believe it. But he'd kissed away her tears, and kissed her lips, and slipped a ring onto her finger, while her head was still spinning.

Hermione had argued, telling him that it was her mistake, again, and that she could own up to the fact that she was having a child out of wedlock. She didn't want to get married to him unless he wanted her. She didn't _need_ him to do the right thing. That was when he revealed that he'd had the ring all along, and he was just waiting for an appropriate amount of time to allow her to grieve her previous husband.

Before she could think on it any more, the floo was flaring and Sirius and Ursula were sweeping in with their usual Black arrogance. Only then they noticed that they were not alone. Sirius's eyes narrowed on the other man in the room, glaring at Radalphus. "What is this man doing in the home of my brother?"

"I've invited him." Hermione said, calmly, offering them each a cup of tea. "That is, Radalphus and I have something to discuss with you."

It must have been then that Ursula noticed the ring glinting away on Hermione's finger, because she dropped her teacup, letting out a little gasp. Hermione knew that this was not the excited gasp of a mother, eager for her daughter to move on to the next chapter of her life. No, this was a scandalized, horrified gasp.

Wanting to get the conversation done as quickly as possible. "Yes, Radalphus and I have decided to get married." Hermione said, grabbing his hands so hard that her knuckles had gone white. In the other hand, she was gripping her wand tightly. She'd bested Sirius once before and didn't think he was likely to try again, especially not in front of his mother, but she wasn't going to be unprepared.

"I forbid it." Sirius said, his voice bellowing and booming. He was still under the impression that he had some kind of sway over her.

She tried to keep her face neutral, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible. "I don't need your _permission_ , Sirius. I think you will find that you cannot command me as paterfamilias as you do your other family members. I am going to marry Radalphus and there is nothing that you can do about it. Now, I've moved all of mine and Delph's things out of the house and we won't be returning here."

Delph was safely at Radalphus's home, under the watchful eye of their one elderly house elf. Hermione did not want to give them the chance to try something stupid or to perhaps scar him by seeing his mother fighting with others.

"Yes, you might not be under our control, but the baby certainly is." Ursula said shrilly from beside her son. Hermione wondered if the woman thought that she would happily hand over the baby to her so that Ursula could raise him herself.

"If you think that you can come between me and Delphinus, you are _wrong._ And you will be sorry. I am not to be trifled with." Hermione said, her voice hard, not wanting to give the Blacks an inch. "The funny thing about your little familial spells is that the blood magic has to be completed - Cygnus never got around to that. Now if we are finished here, I will be leaving. And we will not be returning."

Hermione and Radalphus stood together from the couch, before leaving the two Black family members sitting dumbfounded.

* * *

 **October 2nd, 1944**

The second time that Hermione got married was simpler than the first time. She and Radalphus had decided to just make their way to the Ministry and just have it done by an official in the offices, rather than going through the hassle of planning a bonding ceremony. They didn't want to take a chance of having the Black family step in and try to cause any trouble for them. It was better to perform the bonding and then there would be no going back.

Hermione did feel a little bit badly for the children at Hogwarts that the only heads up they were getting was a hastily penned missive from their respective parents explaining the situation and a more full explanation over the winter break. Hermione in particular felt bad about not being able to tell Tom in person.

Over the years, she'd learned just how much Tom had detested Cygnus, most importantly because of the way he'd treated her. She wanted Tom to know that she wasn't just rushing into another relationship for a silly reason. Hermione wanted to explain that she was marrying Radalphus because she loved him and he made her happy.

That _was_ one noticeable difference between her first wedding. She had Radalphus were almost giddy teenagers again at the prospect of finally being together in marriage. Hermione had picked out a pretty set of robes - even though it wasn't a full, frilly ceremony, she wanted to look nice. Radalphus wore some sharp, fashionable dress robes as well, and her heart skipped a beat when she stared at him over the ministry official.

She was holding Delph in her arms, seeing as they were going to leave from the Ministry and go to France for a week to celebrate their nuptials, and Hermione couldn't bare the thought of leaving him alone for so long.

The ministry official asked Hermione a long list of questions, perhaps to ascertain that she wasn't being forced into the bonding, but she told him in no uncertain things that she was positive in her decision. Her relationship with Radalphus had been hidden for so many years, she couldn't imagine being apart from him for another hour. Not to mention the life growing rapidly inside her would need a father.

They held their hands together, tightly, unable to keep their smiles off their faces while the official waved his wand, clearly saying each of the spells that would tie their lives to one another until one of them died. Grinning at her new husband, Hermione hoped that they would have many long years left to live with one another.

For a moment, she let herself think about if she would live long enough to ever meet Harry Potter. She would be around eighty years old at that point, but witches and wizards tended to live much longer than muggles did. With her continued friendship with her step-daughter, Dorea, Hermione knew that it was a real possibility that she'd get to meet little Harry. Merlin, this meant that she was his step-great grandmother, didn't it?

Tickled by the idea and full of hope for the future, Hermione Lestrange pressed a firm kiss to her new husband's lips before their portkey jerked them along to the south of France.

* * *

 **October 8th, 1944**

Tom had asked a select number of Slytherin boys to meet him in the common room well after curfew. It had taken him some time to explore the Chamber of Secrets on his own, but now it was time to show the other boys what kind of power he wielded as Heir of Slytherin, and to suss out who he could count on once he left Hogwarts. Tom Riddle had some big plans, but he would need friends if he wanted to accomplish everything he had planned.

So far, only Edmond had shown up, but it was still early. His friend gave him a lazy smirk from across the couch. "So I hear that we have recently become brothers." He said finally, remembering the letter from his father that he'd received a week prior, saying that he was going to marry Hermione Black. Not that Edmond could blame his father. Tom's mother was quite an attractive woman, vivacious _and_ tenacious.

Tom frowned at the discussion, though. "Yes, though I don't understand why she felt she needed to get married again so soon. She only just broke free from Black, which was quite an unhappy marriage. She could have at least waited until Yule break so that the three of us could have attended." Tom was a bit put out that his mother could had only write him a hastily scrawled note that she was going to marry Mr. Lestrange. He figured he deserved more than that - that she should have given him the courtesy of telling him in person. His mind was swirling and he hoped that she had made the right decision, though he was seriously questioning her judgement at this point.

Edmond started chuckling, to Tom's annoyance. "Well, I can think of at least one reason why they would have gotten married so quickly." Seeing Tom's confused look, Edmond only laughed harder. "Merlin, Tommy you are so smart, but you can be so dense sometimes. I mean...she might be pregnant. She needs to get married otherwise she might start to show before the wedding happened. Seems to me like you and I might have a new sibling in not too long."

Tom gaped at his friend, wondering how much of it was true. Was it possible that his mother had been carrying on with an affair with Mr. Lestrange this whole time, and he'd been completely blind to what she was up to? His mind was swirling, but then his memory was only too happy to supply all of the appreciative looks that Edmond's father had given his mother through the years, and the way that she would light up when he was around.

"I see you're piecing it together then." Edmond said proudly. "I knew that I wasn't the only one who noticed the way that they acted around one another."

Before either of the boys could talk about it further, the others were clambering down the stairs, one after the other. Avery, Dolohov, Rosier, Higgs, Carrow, Malfoy and Nott all showed up, making enough noise to wake the whole castle. "Keep your mouths shut, or I will shut them for you." Tom barked, getting their attention quickly. "We are going to go on a little walk, and if one of you makes noise that gets us caught, there will be punishment."

With that, he started leading them out of the common room, and through the empty corridors, trying to make as little noise as possible. Tom knew that they were all confused when he led them to the girls' lavatory on the first floor, but simply pressed a finger to his lips to remind them that silence was of the utmost importance.

A whispered word of parseltongue had the sinks rearranging themselves, and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets opening up. He turned around to face his peers, a proud smirk on his face when he saw more than one of them in awe. Gesturing to the whole, he questioned them. "Who is first?"

Edmond went first with some trepidation, but still, Tom knew that he could trust his friend. They were brothers now, after all. The rest of his friends followed, until it was only him and Abraxas left. The blond looked over the edge where the others had disappeared and waffled for a minute, looking as if he was going to try and argue with Tom, before he shrugged his shoulders and joined the rest. Tom was the last to head into the Chamber, closing the entrance after he jumped in.

"What the fuck is going on here Riddle? Just where are we?" Dolohov asked. The boy could always be counted on to speak his mind with little concern for the consequences.

Tom gave them a smile, before leading them further into the Chamber. "All of your questions will be answered. We are in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Chamber of Secrets? Like Slytherin's Chamber?" Nott asked, ever the inquisitive boy. "Does that mean that his monster is lurking down here?"

"Yes, the basilisk is down here, but she will only come if I call her." Tom said with a grin on his face when they made their way to the great stone statue of Salazar Slytherin, his ancestor. "I've brought you here to tell you that I am the Heir of Salazar Slytherin and his blood runs through my veins. I figured that you would want proof so here it is. If you'd like I can call the basilisk, but I warn you that she can kill with one look."

The boys all looked dumbfounded and a bit confused, but none of them could deny the truth of the matter, which was that they were actually standing in the Chamber of Secrets and only the heir would be able to open the Chamber and command the monster. "I'll - I promise to help you Tom. Whatever you need." Higgs said quickly, his voice shaking.

Tom cocked his head to the side, looking at the fifth year with surprise. "You don't even know what I want to accomplish and already you are promising to help me?"

The boys cheeks turned pink. "Everyone knows you are going places, Riddle. I have faith that...you are the best path forward. I don't need to know what you're plans are to know that working with you is the safe bet. Things get done when you are involved. You have all the answers."

Tom forcibly kept the smirk off of his face, glad that his years of giving advice and helping people sort their problems had culminated into this moment. Tom Riddle was someone you could count on. "It's true that I have ambitions to become Minister of Magic. Things in our government have stagnated and I plan to make some _big_ changes in the coming years. If you pledge loyalty to me now, you will be rewarded once I've achieved my aim."

"I, Bertram Higgs, pledge my loyalty to you, Tom Riddle." Bertie said, with a lopsided grin, not even flinching at the little zing of magic that pinged between them because of the oath.

"I, Edmond Lestrange, pledge my loyalty to you, Tom Riddle." Edmond said next. It continued down the line until everyone, even Abraxas Malfoy had promised Tom that they would try to help Tom Riddle get what he wanted. The Malfoy heir waivered for just a moment, but the thought of being left out had him completing the pledge as well.

The tide was turning, and they could all sense it.

* * *

 **November 26th, 1944**

Another Hogsmeade visit had arrived, and Tom found himself alone for a change. He didn't have to patrol for a change, McGonagall having taking over the duty for the day, and he wasn't due to meet his friends for another two hours. A small part of him had thought about asking Melanie, but he didn't want to apologize to her.

He wasn't sure what he wanted from her, in terms of a relationship. Relationships scared him, especially after seeing how mistreated his mum had been by Cygnus and the way that she'd been trapped and powerless in her marriage bonds. He couldn't imagine having his will taken away in that manner, and it seemed safer to just ignore romantic entanglements all together.

Only, then his mum had gotten married again, and well, if she could put her heart on the line like that again, perhaps it wasn't so bad.

After all, he was quite fond of Melanie. She reminded him of his mum in a lot of ways, in that she was a bit headstrong and not afraid to speak her mind. She was an excellent conversationalist, even though she wasn't quite as smart as his mum was. It was safe to say that his feelings for her had grown through the years quite dramatically.

And that was why, of course, his body was filled with white hot rage, when he saw her draped on the arm of seventh year Gryffindor Oliver Prewett, giggling madly like one of those stupid vapid girls. He thought that she'd perhaps had feelings for him as well, after all, she'd been quite enthusiastic with their secret rendezvouses in deserted classrooms after curfew. He could still remember the way that her body had responded like a marionette to each and every touch and caress that he rewarded her with.

How was it possible that she'd moved on so quickly, leaving him behind, forgotten?

She looked a bit surprised when she caught his eyes from across the town center, her body stilling, rigid under the weight of his judgement. This was unacceptable, he decided. He couldn't just let her get away with tossing him aside so easily.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Haha, I was really impressed with the number of you who thought that Melanie would become this timeline's Myrtle! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-seven and be on the lookout for thirty-eight soon!

* * *

 **December 5th, 1944**

It was a rather chilly day in December when Melanie finally dared to speak with him again. Tom was wondering if this kind of a confrontation was coming, knowing that Melanie just couldn't seem to hold her tongue about things, and she didn't have the best control of her emotions.

He was studying in the library with Edmond and Dmitri, the trio of them being the only ones who had advanced far enough to take their Arithmancy NEWT, but really, there wasn't too much actual studying getting done. Instead, Dmitri was regaling them with the news that his father had selected a bride for him, and he was dreading his return home to Russia over the Yule break to meet her, positive that she was going to be ugly.

Melanie appeared with words on the tip of her tongue, only to hold back when she realized that she might have an audience. "Tommy, may I speak to you in private?" She asked, her eyes sweeping over Edmond and Dmitri, who immediately began chuckling and being juvenile boys.

Tom smirked at them, before rolling his eyes, and looking back at Melanie. "Hello to you, too, Melanie. How are you this evening?" He asked, trying to make the interaction as uncomfortable as possible. He hadn't forgotten the way that she rejected him, and he wasn't going to make this easier on her, just because he was still attracted to her.

"I'm fine Tommy." She said sternly, before letting a little pleading tone bleed into her voice. "Please, can't we just talk one on one for a minute?"

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my friends." Tom said, knowing that she wouldn't bring up their sexual relationship, because she wouldn't want it to get around that she had a reputation. And really, he knew what the conversation was going to be about, and he wanted to put it off as long as possible.

"Fine." She said, her temper getting the better of her. Her nostrils flared and he could see her hands balled into little fists at her sides, trying to keep hold of her emotions. "Did you have something to do with what happened to Ollie?" Oliver Prewett had apparently had a little spill down a moving staircase a few days previous and he'd only just woken up that day. His memory had been reviewed, but they couldn't find anything amiss, such as him being pushed or even thrown down the staircase.

"Now, why would you think that?" Tom said, his voice even and calm.

"Because you were jealous that Ollie took me to Hogsmeade." Melanie said, jutting out her chin further. Her eyes moved back and forth across his face, trying to get a read on what he was feeling.

Tom smirked again at his two friends. "Why would I be jealous of Prewett? And who's to say that anything happened to him? Headmaster Dippet said that he just took a tumble down the stairs. Probably even tripped over his own feet. Salazar knows he's clumsy." He drawled, the picture of boredom.

"Because-" Melanie hissed, bending at the waist so that she could get closer to Tom's face. "It's just like what happened with Jez last year. Tommy, promise me that you didn't have _anything_ to do with what happened to them." She demanded, obvious confusion written on her face. Tom was sure that she suspected him, but that she couldn't quite rectify the conclusion with her own opinions of him. Of course, she liked him, so she couldn't imagine him being capable of it.

"You have a high opinion of yourself." Tom said coldly, unable to forget the way that she'd snubbed him. "If you think that I would hurt every boy that gives you a second look." There was no way that he was going to make that kind of promise to her.

Melanie, suitably chastised, had tears in her eyes, when she turned and fled the library. "You've changed, Tom Riddle." She said, sullenly, to the laughter of Edmond and Dmitri, who found the whole exchange hilarious.

* * *

 **December 28th, 1944**

The new Lestrange family first assembled in it's entirety over the Yule break. Despite how in love Radalphus and Hermione clearly were with one another, it was uncomfortable for all of the children to come together for the first time.

Hermione had taken her time showing Tom to his new room. Well, it was new in that it was in a different house, but she'd completely replicated the way that it was at Black Manor, hoping the ease the transition as much as possible. She hoped that being right next to his best friend, Edmond, would help things as well, but in truth it was just a bit odd, if Tom was honest.

She also showed him where her room was (well, the room she shared with Radalphus) and where Delphinus's nursery was as well. He tried to ask her about the sudden marriage, but Hermione had brushed him off, telling him that she and Radalphus would be answering all of their questions over dinner that night. They wanted everyone on the same page.

Honestly, Hermione had been incredibly nervous all day, and the cause was Mercedes. There was no short of parallels between her and Cassiopeia and she could only hope that this meeting would go better than it had with her other step-daughter. To her delight, the younger girl had only made pleasant conversation at the beginning. While she didn't count on having a relationship like she did with Dorea, she could at least be excited that it wouldn't be as contentious as the relationship with Cassiopeia.

Things were tense when they finally all gathered around the table with one another. No one seemed like they wanted to talk _first_ , though it was clear that everyone had questions. Finally, unable to take the tension, Hermione sighed and grabbed her husband - Merlin, she would never get tired of thinking of Radalphus as her husband - and cleared her throat. "I am sure that we all have questions, but before that, Radalphus and I have some news to share with you."

Edmond gave Tom a pointed look, as he was positive that he already knew what she was going to be telling them. The boys had talked about how it was possible that their respective parents had had a sexual relationship before the marriage and that they were expecting a baby.

"Hermione is pregnant." Radalphus said, his voice soothing and proud, carrying with it only a hint of a French accent that Mercedes and Edmond had lost a long time ago.

Silence followed the announcement, but eventually Edmond spoke first. "Congratulations. I can't wait to meet my little brother or sister in a few months." He threw Tom a smirk, very happy to be right, and he was truly excited for his father. He couldn't deny that he'd noticed how much happier his father had been once he'd met the former Madame Black. They did well together and they deserved this bit of happiness.

"Daddy, do you really think that you should be having children at your age?" Mercedes asked, which Hermione thought was particularly funny. Radalphus was about ten years older than her, but he certainly didn't seem like an old man. He was still quick and full of vitality.

Radalphus rolled his eyes at his daughter's cheek. "I will tell you that...my decision to marry Hermione was because I loved her. To be expecting another child is a blessing that I did not expect. But we are both thrilled."

"So your marriage is a love match, mum?" Tom asked, meeting her gaze and not letting it go. He wanted her to know that if anything was amiss in the relationship, that he would support her. He was disappointed that she got married again so quickly, but if Radalphus made her happy...he supposed that he could live with it.

Hermione smiled brightly. "Yes, it is a love match. Radalphus and I have grown...fond of each other over the years, but the thought of a relationship couldn't occur until after I was widowed." She and Radalphus had discussed telling the children about Delph, but they decided to hold off until he was officially adopted, a process they had recently begun. They didn't want any chance of the Black family trying to cause trouble, or news that he was the product of an extra-marital affair to get out to the general public. "We are very happy together and hope to have many long years together."

She did not miss the way that Tom's eyes shifted to his brother for a moment. She hoped that he wouldn't hate her for keeping up the deception a little while longer.

* * *

 **February 3rd, 1945**

Hermione was pleased that her relationship with Dorea had lasted even after Cygnus's death and her marriage to Radalphus. Really, there was no solid connection between the women anymore, except for the friendship that they had forged over the years. Dorea often came to Hermione for advice as a young married woman.

Cassiopeia on the other hand had moved back into Black Manor once Hermione and Delph had moved away, insisting on spewing all kinds of bile at Hermione. Cassiopeia held Hermione responsible for her father's death, blaming her for all of the issues in their relationship. She said Hermione had been withholding a child from Cygnus (which to be fair was true), but then later said that her cold treatment of the man had led him to drinking. It made Hermione shudder that anyone should hold her responsible for a death that the man brought on himself.

Still, she was glad that Dorea didn't see it the same way. "I wasn't blind. I knew from the very beginning that you and my father had an unhappy marriage." Dorea said one day over tea, squeezing Hermione's hand in her own. "And I always knew about Irma. Not to mention you are the reason that I got to marry Charlus. I don't want to imagine what daddy would have done to me if you hadn't been there to suggest it."

"I am sure that he would have come around." Hermione said, watching Delph play on the floor with a stuffed dragon that had been Tom's when he was much, much younger. "You know that your father had such a soft spot for you. I am sure that he would have given you anything you wanted." Even though she and Cygnus had _not_ been on good terms when he died, Hermione wasn't going to speak ill of him to his daughter.

Dorea gave her a sad smile and shook her head. "I still think he would have rather I married someone in the Sacred Twenty-Eight." The directory of the _best_ pureblood families had been out for less than two decades, but it had already left such a mark on Britain. It made Hermione want to give Cantankerous Nott a piece of her mind, but honestly, she was a bit scared of the man. "Well, at least Grandmother and Uncle Sirius are always reminding me of that anyway." She pushed her long blonde hair over one shoulder and Hermione noted that even though Dorea was in her twenties now, her looks had only grown more stunning through the years.

"I wouldn't listen to those two more than you have to, Dorea." Hermione said fondly, so glad that she was finally out of their grasp. "If I had a knut for every snide word they had for me, I would be a very rich woman."

Dorea laughed at her proclamation, before her laughter died away and her face was again saddened. "They blame Charlus for the reason that...I am still childless. I long for a baby, mum." Hermione's heart warmed that the girl still thought of _her_ as her mother, though now their difference in age was not so pronounced.

Hermione wrapped the younger woman up in a hug. "Oh, Dorea, I promise you that you will have a baby. I just know that it will happen...eventually." Hermione could do the math, and she knew that James Potter wasn't born until 1960, which meant that Dorea still had a lot of waiting to do. "You saw, it took me many years to have Delphinus. It might take a while, but I just have a good feeling about this."

Dorea smiled, glad for the encouragement. Her eyes dipped to the boy playing on the floor and neither one of them mentioned the fact that Cygnus's name wasn't mentioned in the discussion of Delphinus's conception.

* * *

 **April 17th, 1945**

Tom spilled into a seat at the bar, leaving the rest of his Slytherin mates at the table. They were all laughing and rowdy. They all knew not to bother him if he had some "business" to attend to, talking with Professor Dumbledore's brother. Not a single one of them had the sense to figure out what business he had with the man, except to his surprise, his cousin Orion who'd recently joined their little group. Honestly, Tom thought that joining their group was less to do with thinking that aligning with Tom could help him, and more to do with annoying his future bride, Walburga, as much as possible.

"You know, I won't be around forever." Tom said, once he got the older man's attention.

"What do you want?" Aberforth groused, having found the schoolboy equally vexing and helpful through the years. The Hog's Head had never seen as much business as when his little gang started showing up.

Tom gave him a little smirk. "To rule the world of course. And a firewhiskey if you have it." From the way that the old barkeep rolled his eyes at Tom, he knew that he didn't believe him. Instead, he pulled a dirty glass down and filled it with the amber liquid that Tom had requested. He took a big gulp, trying very hard not to flinch from the burn in his throat. "Your brother still has not gone after Grindelwald. More and more people die every day, and yet he hides in the castle."

Aberforth granted. "One of Albus's many flaws, I'm afraid. He thrives on being needed. Only once the wizarding world is begging him to do something will he finally deign to get off his arse." Aberforth made a show of wiping down the bar with a dirty rag, only moving the filth around and around but never really getting anything _clean_.

"You told me before that Grindelwald and your brother were _involved_." Tom didn't have any negative feelings against homosexuality, though he knew the rest of the wizarding world could be rather old fashioned - so focused on creating the next heir - that it was usually a well kept secret. But, he wasn't blind and he knew that it went on, in fact even in his own family. He'd been on rounds when he'd caught Alphard kissing a Ravenclaw boy from his year. "Is it possible that he is still holding a torch, and doesn't wish to hurt his former lover."

The older man's cheeks turned bright red under his auburn beard at the word lover. "No, once their relationship was over. It was explosive and it ended in death."

"Death?" Tom said, more than intrigued. The idea that the inscrutable Albus Dumbledore might be involved in an unknown death was almost unimaginable. Tom was always looking for any kind of leverage to use against his Professor.

"Our little sister. Ariana." Aberforth said, his eyes dropping, and Tom could instantly tell that it was something that Aberforth still thought about a lot. It probably still affected him to this day, no matter how long ago it happened.

Tom cleared his throat. "I was unaware you had a sister. I'm sorry for your loss." He said, hoping it sounded like he actually cared. All he cared about was finding something that could take down Albus Dumbledore once and for all, and this had promise. "Well, let's hope that your brother finally does something about Grindelwald before he has another death on his hands." He swallowed the rest of the firewhiskey in one gulp, before stepping away from the bar, returning to his friends.

* * *

 **May 25th, 1945**

Before Tom knew it, NEWTs were upon Hogwarts. It was odd to think that this would be the last exam that he'd ever take, and in just a few short days, he'd be leaving Hogwarts the same way that he came in - taking the boats across the Black Lake. He would be graduating as one of the best students that the school had ever seen.

If people expected him to be filled with nostalgia of the days gone by, missing all the childish drama and classes that had failed to challenge him since he was a second year, they'd be sorely disappointed. Instead, Tom was filled with an eagerness to get out into the world and start the next chapter of his life. He hoped to become Minister of Magic in just a few short years, and it would take a lot of hard work and determination to achieve his goals.

Really, he didn't have too much time to contemplate the ending of this part of his life, because he was so busy. Yes, Tom was exceptionally bright, but that didn't mean that he didn't need to study. He wanted to make a good impression on the examiners, and he wanted to score the highest scores the school would _ever_ see. Time that wasn't spent studying was spent brewing calming draughts for his friends or for the highest bidder. He'd also dabbled in creating a potion that would help you stay up and cram.

Stepping into his Charms NEWT, Tom felt extraordinarily confident, while he moved through the required spells, giving the examiner - an older witch - an indulgent smile when she gasped at his casting. Deciding to really give the biddy a good show, he decided to show off his Patronus Charm, seeing as it was not a standard spell that they taught at Hogwarts. He hoped it would show his aptitude for the subject, not just memorizing spells.

It had taken a lot of practicing with his mum over the summer, and he'd been worried that he wouldn't be able to cast it for all of the failures that he'd faced. His mum always made it seem so easy, her face flushed from happy memories. He'd briefly been worried that his using Dark Magic would prevent him from being able to cast it, but of course, he couldn't share his concerns with her. Eventually, though, he'd been able to form a perfectly corporeal patronus, to his mum's delight and his pride.

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting the form to be, but it was a bit obvious that it was a snake, large and coiling, ready to strike. The examiner was certainly impressed, writing notes rapidly on her parchment, before giving him an appreciative nod. "Very _outstanding_ work Mister Riddle. I am sure we will be seeing more of you soon."

Tom gave her a little half bow, and a broad smile, showing off pearly white teeth. "Yes, I have high hopes for myself." He told her, before leaving the room, off to his next test. That was one down, only eleven more NEWTs to go.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad you guys are enjoying this story so far, and I can't believe we are nearing the end! This will have 44 chapters, and an epilogue. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought about chapter thirty-eight and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-nine soon!

* * *

 **June 6th, 1945**

Hermione felt uncomfortably large sitting out on the small patio behind the house, but the sun morning sun felt wonderful on her face. Not too far away, Seamus was lying in the grass in a warm sunbeam, his belly exposed to the sunlight. She couldn't help but smile at the old dog, who'd been an excellent companion to both her and Delphinus. She wasn't blind that he was getting up there in the years.

She took another sip of cranberry juice - something she'd been craving the whole while she'd been pregnant - and felt a hand come and rest on her shoulder. Looking up, she was surprised to see Tom. "What are you doing out here, darling? I thought you and Edmond were making your plans for the summer." It had been wonderful to see that Edmond and Tom were so close, especially now that they were essentially step brothers.

"He went out to visit his girlfriend's family. I think he intends to ask her to marry him shortly." Tom responded. He supposed that Etta wasn't his type of girl, but she and Edmond got along quite well, and they'd been dating for ages. It made sense.

"Is there a special girl in your life Tommy?" His mum asked, her face softening, while she pressed a hand to her rounded belly. "I seem to recall you speaking very...fondly of a girl by the name of St. Martin."

He couldn't stop the blush on his face. Salazar, Melanie made him so mad before he left school. She'd basically rejected him outright and then flaunted the fact that she was seeing other guys right in front of his face. He'd lashed out - predictably - but then, Melanie had actually challenged him on it. Said he'd changed. But, he knew that he hadn't changed, not where it counted. He'd just shown her what was under his carefully crafted facade.

A man who was jealous and unaccustomed to not getting what he wanted.

And Merlin, did he ever still want her. She'd taken up residence in his dreams, all glimpses of soft, brown curls, and wide, doe eyes. The only problem was, he didn't know if she would ever want him again. "She was dating another boy...a Prewett, I believe." Tom said, hoping that his mother didn't take note of how sullen he was about it. Wanting to change the subject, to get it off of him, he tried to refocus the conversation on her pregnancy. "Salazar, mum, you look huge."

Hermione scowled at him, but she knew that he didn't mean it that way. "Yes, I can't wait for this to be over and done with. I have a feeling that the little one might want to come early. I don't remember Delph ever sitting like this." Hermione held out hope that the different way that she was carrying the baby meant that it would be a girl this time around, but she wasn't positive.

Tom sighed. He'd been meaning to broach the topic of his new...stepfather with his mum sooner, but he'd only just now found the time, as he was making arrangements to move to London after the summer was over. "Mum...is the baby really coming early, or is it coming on time?" He asked cautiously. "Edmond suggested that, well you might have already been seeing his father before you got married." He never wanted to talk to his mum about sex, but he needed to know.

She looked into his dark eyes, biting on her lower lip while she thought it over. "Tommy, I...yes, it's true that Radalphus and I had a relationship prior to the marriage. And yes, this baby was...conceived before we were married."

"But, I hope that that isn't the only reason you married him?" Tom pressed her further. "You know that I would have taken care of you. I hate the idea of you being chained to the whims of another man so soon after..."

"No, Tom, I am not chained to Radalphus. I am in love with him, and he with me. I wouldn't have married him just because we were expecting a child." Hermione said, knowing it was the truth. "I just wish I would have married him all those years ago instead of Cygnus. I hope you don't mind that I didn't tell you this sooner."

"I wish you would have told me...I wish you'd trusted me with that..." Tom was uncertain of what he thought, but he tried to put his feelings into words. He didn't like the idea of his mum keeping secrets from him, but then again, he was keeping his own secrets from her...

Before they could talk about it any further, his mum was gasping in pain and clutching her baby bump. "Uh oh, I think that the little one has decided to come now." Hermione said, looking at him, stricken. "Come help me inside and then, can you please floo call Radalphus?" She let Tom wrap his arm around her back, guiding her inside with sure and careful steps. This was it.

* * *

June 11th, 1945

Hermione smiled, looking at the way Radalphus stared down at their tiny baby daughter, swaddled in cozy, yellow cotton. Not even a week old, and already he was so in love with their sweet pea. Odette Tempeste was a beautiful baby, with soft brown waves of hair on her head.

Just when she was distracted, her attention was brought back to her newborn son, Thibaut Bastian was born first, after a relatively short labor. They had not been expecting twins, but it quickly became clear that Hermione was still in labor, even after Thibaut was born. It was a wonderful surprise, but it made Hermione curse purebloods and their odd rituals regarding pregnancy that meant performing as few detection spells as possible on the child. How was it possible that the healer had missed this?

In any case, it provided Radalphus and Hermione with a little bit of extra coverage. Of course, there was always going to be discussion about how...premature the delivery was, but twins were known to come early.

"I think his hair might be a little bit auburn." Hermione said quietly, running her finger against Thibaut's petal soft cheek while he nursed.

Radalphus looked up and smiled. "My father had auburn hair as well. It is a fitting tribute, then, to him." They had decided to give their son Radalphus's father's name as a way to honor him, but had chosen the name Thibaut after reading a treatise on arithmancy by a wizard called Thibaut, and they both decided that they liked the name. Odette had been a favorite name of Hermione's since she was a little girl in ballet class, and they'd given her the middle name Tempeste to honor Hermione Millefeuille's mother. It felt a bit odd to honor a woman that Hermione had never met before, but she thought it worked.

To her delight, the older children seemed quite taken with the new twins. Mercedes was a little bit too old to think of them as little living dolls, the way that Dorea had taken to Tommy, but she'd been exceedingly helpful in watching them. "It will be good practice for when I have my own one day." She'd told Hermione, proudly, much to Radalphus and Edmond's chagrin.

Edmond was very sweet and promised that he would always work to protect the two, especially Odette, who he said was sure to grow up into a beautiful young woman. Hermione hoped that he was right, and that she didn't inherit her mother's slightly unmanageable hair. Though, this time around, Hermione knew how to manage her hair...a little. She could pass it on.

Tom was very comfortable around the twins, seeing as he'd already had a little bit of practice with Delph. He'd been quite stricken to see his mum in so much pain before Radalphus arrived, and Hermione was afraid that she might have squeezed his hand a little bit too hard. Still, afterwards, she'd caught him holding a tiny Thibaut, staring at his brother's face with a pensive look. Hermione wondered if Tom had begun thinking about if he'd like a family of his own. She knew that he hadn't had a girlfriend so far as she knew, but she could also tell that he had quite a crush on Melanie St. Martin, no matter how much he tried to pretend that he didn't.

The only person who wasn't excited by the arrival of the twins was poor Delph. He was quite put out to have all the attention pulled away from him, especially so close to his birthday. Radalphus had promised to take him some place special to have some father son bonding time. "I can't wait until the adoption finally goes through." Hermione told her husband, longingly.

They'd tried to do as much as the groundwork without informing the Black family, but they were nearing the point where Sirius would have to be informed. She hoped that they didn't kick up too much of a fuss, especially since Delphinus already called Radalphus 'papa' and they'd grown quite close being able to spend as much time together as possible. And Radalphus was a wonderful father.

"It will be fine, ma mie." Radalphus said soothingly. His family had clout too. "But I can't wait for the day that we can finally be together fully, as a family."

* * *

July 1st, 1945

It was no surprise at all that with the highest NEWT scores that had ever been seen, Tom Riddle had gotten numerous job offers. He was the most sought after new graduate, and people were clamoring to give him a job, each with better pay than the next. He'd gotten offers to complete masteries in potions, arithmancy, charms and transfiguration as well. It almost made him want to get the transfiguration mastery just to rub it in Dumbledore's face.

In the end, though, he didn't want to work at Gringotts or various apothecaries, or Borgin and Burkes. No, he had always known that he wanted to work in the Ministry of Magic. It was just the next stepping stone on his way to ultimate political power. He had accepted the post of Junior Undersecretary, working in the Wizengamot. He knew that many people would think that it was beneath his station to work as a glorified stenographer, but he knew that he wouldn't be there long. He was ambitious and would be rising quickly.

However, many pureblood boys typically took a short gap period over the summer, so he wouldn't be starting until September. Instead, he was going with Edmond, Abraxas, Dmitri and Bernard to various areas around Europe. They were starting in Spain, and then would make their way to Edmond's family's estate in Marseille, before heading to Italy.

His mum wasn't too keen on him gallivanting around Europe, what with Grindelwald still on the loose, but Tom wasn't too concerned with the Dark Wizard. He'd never been more confident that he could take Grindelwald on. Maybe he would have to, if Dumbledore kept hiding at Hogwarts. But, he'd eventually convinced his mum that he was only a teenager once, and well, he needed to have a little bit of fun before he was confined to working life.

It was odd to see the way that her face softened at his proclamation. "Yes, I suppose that's true. You're only a teenager once, Tommy." He hardly felt like a teenager anymore, but he supposed it was true. He'd been working so hard for so long, coming up with wonderful plans for all the things that he would do once he was Minister of Magic that he couldn't even remember the last time that he'd spent the afternoon just goofing around with his friends.

He was eager to see what the summer would hold. He could grow closer with the other Slytherin graduates, perhaps try to suss out where they would fit into his plans once he was Minister. And, to his slight embarrassment, he was excited to spend time chasing some foreign witches. He was wondering if that was what he needed to jolt him out of his moping over Melanie.

Tom knew that the other guys were quite excited to meet some witches as well. Abraxas had recently been betrothed to a girl at Hogwarts, though she was only going to be entering her fourth year, so the wedding was a few years off. Dmitri, somehow, had girls flocking to him everywhere he went and with his large physique, Bernard was the same. Tom knew that he had good looks as well, that girls found attractive he just...needed help closing the deal.

Maybe he should ask Edmond for advice.

* * *

August 12th, 1945

The news about Grindelwald came while they were in Rome. Tom was cursing himself at having drank the last of his Sober-Up potion the day before, having indulged a bit too much the night before. Dmitri's latest fling - a pretty girl with dark hair and darker eyes - sat on his lap whispering to him in Italian, punctuated every now and again by horrifying little giggles. It was enough to make his head pound.

Edmond, having the smarts not to do anything that would jeopardize his relationship with his new fiance Etta, was the only one looking bright eyed and bushy tailed that morning, and he was the one to hand over a copy of the Daily Prophet to Tom, a grimace on his face. "Well, at least it's over, I suppose."

Tom's eyes roved over the black and white moving photograph of Dumbledore, looking rather smug. "DUMBLEDORE DEFEATS GRINDELWALD!" The headline was emblazoned above the photo, while the article recounted the details of the grueling twelve hour duel that ended with Dumbledore disarming Grindelwald and taking him into custody. The dark wizard was now being held in Nurmengard, it seemed.

"NO!" He slammed his fist against the glass table, sending plates clattering, surprising all of his breakfast companions. "Where does Dumbledore get off thinking he can swoop in and play the hero now? After all these years?" He sneered back at the smiling photograph of his former teacher. "Oh, good and noble Dumbledore can't even kill Grindelwald...he has to go and disarm him." It was enough to make Tom sick.

Bernard frowned. "What's the big deal, Tom? Grindelwald is finally good and done with. Now the wizarding world can move on." He was looking worse for wear after the night they had out, so Tom didn't blame him for being a little bit slow on the uptake.

"It's a big deal because he let countless people die while he stayed in Hogwarts. He only did anything when he knew he'd be able to reap all the glory." He looked around at the table, and found his friends catching on. "And why should he be seen as a hero? We all know that he treated Slytherins abysmally. He was always trying to get us in trouble while we were in school."

Edmond nodded, having been the target of Dumbledore's overzealous practices more than once. "True. It's not fair that the rest of the world thinks he's noble and good. What would they think if they saw the real Dumbledore?"

"Well, I intend to show them just who the real Dumbledore is." Tom said, feeling proud that he could finally start to put all of his legwork to good use. "I've learned all sorts of secrets from Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, while we've been at the Hog's Head. But I will need some help. Abraxas, do you think you could help me get...census records and birth announcements from the Godric's Hollow area?"

Abraxas had by far the largest network within the Ministry of Magic, owing to his father, Brutus. "Consider it done." The blond said with a smirk. If there was ever something that Abraxas and Tom agreed on, it was that Albus Dumbledore needed to be taken down a peg. Or seven.

* * *

September 3rd, 1945

His mum had made sure to see him off for his first day of work as the Junior Undersecretary at the Ministry of Magic. She'd checked his immaculate robes more than once, picking at invisible pieces of lint. "Just look at you, so tan from all your travels. You look so handsome in your robes." She'd babbled away at breakfast, though Tom did think that the tan he'd acquired over the summer was attractive.

Really, he knew that she was trying to keep her emotions in check. She couldn't accompany him on his first day, seeing as she was taking a few months off to stay home with Thibaut and Odette. But, when she kissed him on his cheek and wished him good luck, she couldn't keep her tears from her pretty brown eyes. "Oh, Tommy, I am just so proud of you. I know you are going to accomplish great things."

Knowing that he had his mother's respect and confidence told him that he'd made the right decision. Internally, he'd been fretting, wondering if he shouldn't have started in a different department. Most Ministers of Magic came out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, after all. He could see himself, a young, dashing auror, working his way up the ranks. He wondered if Melanie would prefer him if he was an auror. She seemed to be interested in Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and they were more the auror type.

But, instead, he knew that working as the Junior Undersecretary, while it might seem humble, afforded him all kinds of advantage to getting the job. Sure, he wouldn't be off, heroically fighting bad guys, but he'd getting advanced notice on all the cases and all the legislation that the Minister wanted to put forward. He'd be able to look into archives that most people would never have access to. He'd be learning exactly how the system worked inside and out.

Sure, he could be an auror, and become Minister when he was in his sixties. Or, he could figure out how to make the system work just for him, until he was the most important wizard in Britain.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows! I am so excited for the final chapters as we still are building up a lot of tension, and really, it has to go somewhere at some point, doesn't it? I am actually pretty excited for this chapter, and I hope that you do too! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-nine and be on the lookout for chapter forty (!) soon!

* * *

 **October 31st, 1945**

Hermione breathed in the crisp autumn air, wrapping her cloak around her a little bit closer when a gust of wind swept by, scraping the leaves along the little path. She cast a warming charm on the pram she was pushing down the path, where Odette and Thibaut were safely nestled. Even though it was an unusually sunny day, Hermione wanted to make sure that the twins didn't catch a cold.

Radalphus walked next to her, his hand held out to hold onto Delphinus's chubby little hands. The little boy was babbling on and on about some story that had to do with Garrard Greengrass, that didn't really make sense to either of his parents, but was riveting to a three year old. "Really, an acromantula?" Radalphus encouraged their son, before giving Hermione a smile and a wink over his head.

Radalphus had proved to be a wonderful father, and she was sure that was the reason why Mercedes and Edmond had turned out so well. She'd really enjoyed getting to know her two stepchildren, and she was very impressed with Edmond's keen mind for finance. After she'd mentioned the muggle system of the stock market, he was quite intrigued to learn more, and Hermione promised to get him some reference books. If he wondered why she knew so much about the muggles, he never asked why.

Mercedes also had a sharp mind, but she prefered potions. Still, it was clear to Hermione that the girl didn't have much ambition above becoming a housewife some day. Perhaps that was why she'd ended up in Ravenclaw rather than Slytherin. Hermione tried to encourage the girl to think about doing things for herself if she wanted...that she would be perfectly capable of having a professional life and a married life if she chose to.

It was nice to get to spend extended time with Tom as well, though he was kept very busy with his job as well, learning the ropes. Hermione had noticed a certain...hardness in her son. He no longer had that bright eyed wonderment that he'd had when he was a little dragon obsessed child. She wondered when that had happened, or if it was just part of growing up. After all, there was nothing left of the eleven year old Hermione Granger in her, after going through the war, and then coming back to the past.

Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the present - enjoying a nice afternoon with her husband and three children. She'd joined Radalphus on his lunch break from the Wizengamot, and it only had her itching to get back to work, though she still wanted to spend a few more months with the twins while they were so long.

As they were walking along the path, they came across someone standing in their way. He was just a nervous boy, as far as Hermione could tell, and she wouldn't have thought twice about him if he hadn't called out to them. "Um, are you Madame Lestrange?"

Hermione's cheeks colored, thinking of how _odd_ it was to be called Madame Lestrange, a name that would possibly one day be bestowed on Bellatrix. "Yes." Hermione said simply, looking over his shaking frame. "Is everything alright?"

The boy held out a scroll, waiting for her to take it, before he apparated away on the spot. Casting the necessary detection spells on the scroll - something she hadn't felt compelled to do in nearly twenty years - Hermione broke the wax seal, and unrolled it slowly, her eyes reading in the words.

Her heart stopped, and she felt tears spring to her eyes immediately. "The Blacks are trying to block the adoption." Hermione whispered, to her husband, feeling her knees go a bit weak.

Radalphus took the scroll from her, reading it over himself. "Then we will fight it. Tooth and nail. Even if we have to tell the world...the _truth_." He whispered.

The nerve of those people! They had had almost _nothing_ to do with Delphinus since he was born and absolutely no contact since Cygnus's death, not even a card or note on his birthday. And now they were trying to take him away from her? A snarl worked it's way out of her throat. Oh, she wasn't some sad, wilting flower. She was mad as hell, and if they thought that they were going to take her son from her without a fight, they had another thing coming. Hermione would do anything for her son, even if it meant bringing up painful history.

* * *

 **December 21st, 1945**

Couples swept around the room, dancing the waltz, while the Ministry held it's annual winter solstice gala. Hermione had thought it was a bit of an odd thing to celebrate, but Flavia had explained that it was a celebration that the days were finally getting longer and that spring would be arriving shortly.

Hermione and Radalphus were situated on the edge of the dance floor, taking a short break from the dancing so that they could stop and chat with some of the other couples from the Wizengamot. They were currently in discussion with the Flints, the parents of the lovely girl whom Edmond was going to marry. To Hermione's vast amusement, Mr. Flint reminded her _a lot_ of the future Marcus Flint. He was a very large man, and seemed uncomfortable with his body, like he never realized the limits of his flesh. It made him quite shy, but when he smiled, she could see that he also possessed a rather unfortunate set of teeth.

It was only once Radalphus had left to get them all drinks that she saw someone marching over towards her, with purpose out of the corner of her eye. Turning, Hermione was surprised to see Cassiopeia Black, done up in a racy green dress which was probably in fashion in France, but very out of place here in England. "So the little tart actually shows her face in public?" She called out to Hermioned once she reached her side, with a sneer.

Madame Flint turned to gape at the younger woman. "Surely you do not mean Madame Lestrange?"

"Why in Merlin's name wouldn't I?" Cassiopeia said before giving Hermione a vicious little smile. "I doubt my father's bed was even cold before she crawled in bed with Lestrange. Or was it going on before his death? He only married you because you went and got yourself pregnant."

Hermione wasn't going to rise to the bait. "Cassiopeia. I don't think this is an appropriate conversation to have in public." Hermione said, trying to strike a conciliatory tone. "I know that you are upset about your father's death-"

"Upset? Ha, of course I am upset. He was never the same after he married _you_." The younger woman was practically seething. "You killed him, I just know it. Bringing that half-blood whelp into our family, and then failing to produce an heir for my father for years and years, knowing how much it hurt him."

Hermione was _very_ uncomfortable with the suggestion that she had a hand in Cygnus's death. He'd had a heart attack and the healer's best guess was that it was caused by his drinking. Only Cygnus was responsible for that. Still, she could hear the whispers of the people around her, and she knew that this was ideal fodder for the gossip mill. It was the _last_ thing she needed while she was fighting with the Black family to terminate their rights to Delphinus.

She knew that denial was going to stir things up even more, and she had no idea how to deal with the situation. A hand came to rest on her upper back, and initially she assumed that it was Radalphus, only to look up and see Pollux instead.

"Cassiopeia. Cease this nonsense immediately and return home. You are embarrassing our family." Pollux's voice was strong and clear, and Hermione knew that he was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear for her benefit. She was surprised, as she would have pegged Pollux to be the last person to come to her aid. "Father drank too much. Only he is responsible for his death."

Cassiopeia openly gaped at Pollux for a moment, before rewarding him with a sneer. "I can't believe you are on _her_ side. We once agreed that she was nothing more than a little French upstart, after father's gold."

Pollux rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I grew up and realized that first impressions are rarely correct."

His sister let out a huff, before turning on her heel and marching back towards the direction of the floos. Hermione turned and looked at Pollux in the eye. It was odd, at one time, she thought that he looked so much like Cygnus, but now, she saw almost nothing of her late husband in his face. "Thank you Pollux."

"Think nothing of it, Hermione. Please tell Tom hello from me." Pollux responded before tipping his head and making his exit. That was odd, Hermione thought. She wasn't aware that Pollux and Tom had ever been considered on friendly terms.

* * *

 **February 1st, 1946**

"I'm telling you to rethink this, Hermione." Radalphus said sternly. In all of the years that they had together, Hermione and Radalphus rarely had fights, and the biggest ones tended to be about what was best for the children. And today was no different. "Odette and Thibaut are still young. It would be best if their mother was home with them."

Hermione agreed that she wanted to spend time with her children, but she wanted to be out in the world, making a difference as well. It wasn't as though being on the Wizengamot would mean that she wouldn't get to spend plenty of quality time with the little ones. After all, her mum had kept her job and Hermione had turned out alright. "I will still have time with them, Radalphus. I don't know why you think me continuing to sit on the Wizengamot will stop me from being a good mother. I want to make the world better for them."

"Because I remember how hard you worked there, ma mie, how much of your time it took up." Radalphus said, pacing back and forth across the room.

"If you know how hard I worked, you should know why it's so important to me that I keep working there." Hermione argued. She already had a reliable nanny lined up - a girl from Dowager Brown's home for unwed ladies, where she'd lived a long time ago. Clara Fawcett came highly recommended.

He sunk into the couch, holding his head in his hands. "I don't want us to do anything that might jeopardize our adoption of Delphinus. The Blacks are going to think that you are not taking good care of him. Please, I don't want them to take away my son." Hermione knew that the looming threat of the Black family laying claim to Delphinus was hanging over his head, but she had no idea that he was actually this worried about it.

Hermione settled down next to him, pressing her head against his own. But then she pulled away. "A compromise then. I will only go into the Ministry when the Wizengamot is in session. I can bring my research home with me, but I will not propose any legislation until the issue with Delph is settled. Would that be acceptable?"

"Work from home?" He asked her. His perplexed tone of voice almost made Hermione giggle. She'd forgotten that it was such a _modern_ idea.

"Yes. Clara can still help watch the children for me, but I will be right there if any of the children need more for a cuddle, or even to play a little bit." Hermione explained. She knew that she was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to work in the Wizengamot as a woman, so she wasn't going to pass this up.

Radalphus let out a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, I suppose, that...that would be acceptable. But, promise me, ma mie, the moment that you become overwhelmed, you tell me, and we will make adjustments."

She knew that _adjustments_ meant leaving her seat at the Wizengamot. Still, she found herself agreeing with her husband, nodding. Hermione used her hands to cup her husband's lightly bearded jaw, using her thumbs to trace over the hair at his temples. "I promise, my love. You worry too much. You are starting to go gray." She teased, knowing that his hair was just as dark as ever, but she couldn't help but tease him anyway.

He easily picked up on her playful mood, relieved that they were no longer fighting. Growling at her, he pressed her back into the couch, his face pressed into the hair next to her ear. "Take that back, Madame Lestrange, or I will be forced to have my wicked way with you." He teased back, his lips kissing a path down from her ear to her neck, promising a very pleasant afternoon.

* * *

 **March 19th, 1946**

Tom stood chatting with Abbott and Macmillian before the Wizengamot would start its session. Today, they were trying a murder case, so pretty much everyone had shown up for the vote today. Normally, he wouldn't talk to the pair, but he needed to start branching out if he wanted to stir up enough concern about Dumbledore.

While Macmillian humbly bragged about how he'd gone fox hunting that past weekend and Abbott tried to one up him, Tom's eyes swept around the room. His mum was chatting with Gareth Greengrass. It annoyed him that many of the members of the Wizengamot wouldn't speak with his mum, seeing as she was a woman. Tom thought that was ridiculous, seeing as his mum was very intelligent and had lots of good ideas. Pollux, in a surprise twist, was chatting with Radalphus Lestrange. It was good to see _someone_ from the Black family friendly with him, as Tom knew that the adoption hearings would be coming up soon, and he didn't want anything to go wrong with Delphinus. It disgusted him to know that the Black family was trying to take custody away from his mum.

His attention was drawn back to the two pompous men, who had predictably shifted their discussion back to Dumbledore's duel with Grindelwald. "I heard the most interesting piece of information the other day..." Tom said, hoping that he sounded off hand. He leaned in closer to the two men, hoping that they would fall for it and lean in closer. They did. "I heard that back in his school days, Dumbledore and Grindelwald were close. Friends. Isn't that a bit _odd_?"

Abbott made a noise of surprise, as though he was truly in the dark about it, but not Macmilian. "Yes, one of his best kept secrets, I would say." Macmillian commented. "How did you hear about it?"

"Oh, just a bit of barroom talk." Tom waved his hand in dismissal. "But in any case, Grindelwald has been captured and is locked away in prison. It's time for the Wizarding world to move on now, and we need to come up with a plan to prevent another Dark wizard from rising up in his place...and come up with a plan for what to do if one does. We cannot afford to wait for Dumbledore to step in."

"Surely you aren't trying to make it seem like Dumbledore didn't do a huge service to all of us?" Abbott asked, sounding aghast.

"No, of course not. We should be thankful that Grindelwald is finally done terrorizing us." Tom said, confidently. "Only, I was saying that it was unfortunate that it had to take so many _years_ to get some resolution."

"We did lose many lives..." Macmillian conceded.

Tom smiled at the man. He always wanted to be on the winning side - an eternal social climber, perhaps not unlike Tom himself. Except Tom would rely on himself to get where he wanted to go, while Macmillian was just happy to be along for the ride. "Just imagine, if we'd had...some kind of army. Yes, we have aurors, but they are not equipped to handle the kind of fighting that we faced with Grindelwald. An army could be called upon to fight."

Both men were surprised to hear that kind of suggestion, as it was almost as if a light when on for them. Tom just smiled and wished them both a good day, knowing that he'd shown them both that he was going somewhere.

* * *

 **April 3rd, 1946**

Hermione found that it was odd to be standing on the floor of the Wizengamot, rather than up in her seat. If it wasn't for Radalphus's calm and patient presence next to her, she was sure that she would be shaking like a leaf. Today was finally the day that it would be decided what would happen to Delphinus.

Ursula stood next to Sirius, sneering at Hermione now and again. She just hoped that she'd made enough friends and shown enough people that she was a good mother in order to keep Delphinus.

When the Minister of Magic came in, all the chit-chatting started to quiet down. Hermione grabbed Radalphus's hand underneath the table. "We are here today to determine the future of Delphinus Henri Black, aged three. Madame Lestrange, Delphinus's mother, has petitioned the Wizengamot have her husband, Radalphus Lestrange, adopt the boy. Sirius Black, patriarch of the Black family have petitioned to block the adoption, and to grant custody of Delphinus to them. Mr. Black, what reason do you have for taking the child away from his remaining biological parent?"

Sirius had _not_ been expecting such an accusatory question, but Tom Riddle had the Minister's ear, and he was only too happy to listen to the ambitious young man. "I, we believe it's in the best interest of the boy to be brought up by his family. He is a Black, and we can pass down knowledge that only the Black family can."

"What say you to that, Madame Lestrange?" The Minister asked her in turn.

"I think that what's in the best interest of Delphinus is stability, love and care. He's only known life with me, and the Black family has not visited or reached out to Delphinus _once_ since my late husband passed." Hermione tried to keep her voice firm and calm, not wanting to seem overly emotional in front of her colleagues.

"She is pulling him away from us." Ursula said, her voice huffing. "She insists that the boy calls Lestrange father. It's an offense to my late son."

"Is this true, Madame Lestrange?" Brutus Malfoy asked, sitting a bit straighter in his seat.

"It is true that Delphinus calls my husband father - well, papa, actually. Radalphus is all that he knows as a father, and Radalphus treats Delphinus as if he were his own son. That is why I would like the adoption to go through. Of course, I will tell him of...Cygnus when he is older, but for right now I think the stability of having a mother and a father will be best for my son." Hermione said, weakly. She hoped that it wasn't going to be a mark against her, but she'd always taken it as a positive.

"The Blacks have suggested that she is not the best parent to the boy." George Bones said through his bushy mustache. "Pollux, I believe that Madame Lestrange was your stepmother for a time. What is your opinion on her parenting skills?"

Pollux appeared to be prepared for this line of questioning. "I will admit that I had my doubts about Madame Lestrange the first time I met her, but since that time, she has shown to be a loving, devoted parent. I have no doubt that Delphinus's best interests are to be raised by his mother, Madame Lestrange."

Ursula let out an outraged gasp, and whispers echoed throughout the chambers. The Minister banged his gavel twice on the table. "I think I've heard all that I need to hear today. All those in favor of removing custody from Madame Lestrange and awarding it to Sirius Black?" There were a small number of hands that went up in the air. "And all those in favor of allowing Radalphus Lestrange to adopt Delphinus Black as his own son?" The _vast_ majority of hands went up in the air.

The Minister smiled down on them, indulgently. "Well, then, it's settled. The adoption will go forward as planned. So mote it be!" Hermione couldn't contain her excitement and flung her arms around Radalphus's neck. They could finally be a family in truth.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** Thank you so so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I cannot believe how quickly this story is passing by...just five more chapters after this one. Also, I never in a million years thought that I would write a story with more than forty chapters! I am pretty excited about this chapter, but we have a lot of action in the next couple of chapters. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty and be on the lookout for chapter forty-one soon!

* * *

 **June 6th, 1946**

Tom should have known that Melanie graduating school meant that Melanie would be looking for a job. After all, she was a half-blood, meaning that she couldn't just rest on a family's generous inheritance and loaf around like Walburga had been doing, waiting for her betrothed to graduate from school. He just never expected her to walk into _his_ office at the Ministry.

"Hello, I am here to inquire if there are any job openings." She said, her voice calm and professional. She'd certainly dressed the part, in a smart set of robes, and her hair done up perfectly in the current fashionable style. She'd put on some makeup too, but it only served to make her look like a young woman trying to appear older, though Tom could admit that he liked the pink color of her lips.

"Really? Is that how you are going to greet your old friend?" Tom asked, raising one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows, bringing his hands to rest behind his head while he leaned back in his chair. He felt perfectly at home in his office, and he would remain in control of the situation, even though seeing Melanie again made his heart beat a little bit faster. Melanie froze at his admonition, but didn't say anything further. "What kind of work are you looking for?"

"Just some secretarial work. I can do research, though, too." Melanie explained, her face softening a bit. "I am just trying to save up some money, so that I can complete a Mastery in Herbology later."

Tom nodded, before leaning forward. "The Minister himself is actually looking for someone to help manage his schedule. It's nearly tea time. Why don't we go discuss the position over a cuppa?" He offered. This was a golden opportunity to get to talk to Melanie, without any outside pressure on him. He'd since cooled off, and realized that he'd acted a bit immature. Although it pained him greatly, he wanted to apologize to the girl for behaving the way he did.

"I don't know if that's a great idea, Tommy." Melanie said, nibbling on her lower lip in concentration. Her hand went to push her hair behind her ear in a nervous tic, but it was already up in a stylish updo.

"Well, Melanie, the position would have a lot of contact with me." Tom said, smoothly. "If you don't think it's a good idea to talk now, I don't know how you think it will be a good idea to take the job here." Seeing that she was quickly faltering, Tom stood from his desk, grabbing his outer robes, so that he could lead her around the corner to a little tea shop. He pressed his hand on her lower back, helping to guide her along the way.

Once they were seated and had a steaming cup of tea in hand, Tom began running through all of the duties of the open position, including what it was like working with the Minister. Melanie slowly relaxed through the conversation, letting her guard down, asking questions about what the hours would be like.

But finally, Tom could put it off no longer. He had to tell Melanie what he'd been wanting since she'd walk in his door. "Melanie, I've been wanting to tell you...that, I am sorry about the way I acted last year. You were right that I was... _jealous_ , to see you in with someone else in Hogsmeade. I should have asked you then." He reached across the table, and grabbed her hand in his. "I hope that, you can give me another chance, and let me take you to dinner sometime?"

Melanie's lips parted, and she stared at him. Obviously, this was the last thing that she had expected to to hear from him. "Tom, I don't know...I just - you really hurt me, laughing at me in front of your friends. I don't know if I can put myself through that again." She said, shaking her head, a frown on her face.

Tom felt the rejection of her words keenly, but he pushed down the automatic desire to lash out at her. He didn't want her to think that his words was didn't have meaning, because, well, he did _mean_ them. "I understand, Melanie." He said with a frown. "I will put in a good word for you with the Minister if you get in your CV by the end of the week. Good luck." He said, standing from the table, leaving enough galleons on the table to pay for their tea.

* * *

 **June 29th, 1946**

As soon as the adoption had gone through, and Delphinus Henri Black had become Delphinus Henri Lestrange in truth, Hermione knew that the next step was coming clean to the rest of the children. There was no chance of the adoption being reversed at this point, seeing as magical adoption involved blood magic, but there was still a chance that the information could harm Delphinus negatively, seeing as he would have been born a bastard. Personally, Hermione thought it was a bit silly of the Wizarding world to think that way, but at the same time, she knew that they were many decades behind.

Hermione just had to keep faith that the older children felt enough allegiance to their family that they wouldn't spill the beans about Delphinus's true beginnings, lest it hurt his future prospects.

They'd decided that they would hold a formal family dinner - everyone was to be present, no excuses. That meant that they'd had to wait for Mercedes to return from Hogwarts it had to occur prior to Edmond's wedding. She didn't want to chance putting it off any longer, because she was sure that there would be some upset and a lot of emotions.

Once they were all seated at the dinner table, Hermione became aware that Tom was instantly aware that something was up. She hoped that a direct approach would work best, so without waiting for them to get through to the dessert, she cleared her throat, meeting Radalphus's eye. "Radalphus and I have something to share with you all. As you know, Delphinus's adoption was made official in May."

"Yes, congratulations." Mercedes said from her seat next to the little boy. "He is such a darling. I am glad that he is officially a part of the family."

Hermione gave the girl a tight smile, knowing that what she was about to say was sure to cause shock. "Well, yes, we are glad to officially be a family. You may have thought that Delphinus rather took after me...I have had many, many comments that he doesn't take after the Black family very much." She said, stalling a bit, wanting to put off the inevitable a little bit longer. It was true, with his light brown, wavy hair, and dark brown eyes, she doubted that there was a witch or wizard alive who would have guessed that he was a branch on the Black family tree.

"Mum, what are you trying to get after?" Tom asked, his dark blue eyes boring into her, trying to get at the truth hidden away in her mind.

She rung her hands together in her lap, knowing that there was no putting it off any longer. "Well, the reason that he doesn't take after the Black family is because he isn't Cygnus Black's child." With her eyes in her lap, Hermione wasn't deaf to the gasps heard around the table. "In truth, Radalphus is Delphinus's father."

Tom dropped his fork in surprise, not expecting to hear that at all. He wasn't sure what to feel. On the one hand, he was glad that his mum hadn't actually reproduced with Cygnus, but on the other hand, she'd been conducting a secret relationship, been an adulteress, right under his nose and he'd never noticed. He'd always thought that his mum was perfect, but the illusion was beginning to show cracks. Mostly, he felt hurt.

"How can you be certain?" Edmond asked softly, not at all surprised to learn that his father's relationship with the lovely Madame Black had begun much earlier than they had previously admitted to.

"Cygnus was infertile." Radalphus said, quietly from his place next to Hermione.

Hermione was glad that he hadn't revealed her secret that she'd been the one who ensured that he was infertile. Only, it seemed that Tommy wasn't quite so in the dark. "All those potions you had me help brew?" He asked, sounding aghast. Standing up from his seat, he threw his napkin down on the table, before retreating from the dining room and heading outside.

Hating that she'd upset her son so much, Hermione stood and followed after him, shooting Radalphus an apologetic look. Pushing open the doors to the garden, Hermione found Tom easily enough, though he was already quite a ways away from the door. "Tommy, wait!" She cried, following after him. When she caught up, she pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Tommy, please!"

Tom spun on his heel to face her. "Don't 'Tommy' me, mum! How could you do this to me? You _knew_ how upset I was that I thought you were having a baby with Cygnus, and you didn't tell me." He ran his hands through his jet black hair. "Why? Why did you lie to me? Keep secrets of such magnitude. I am your son. You should _trust_ me."

Hermione's heart was soaring, knowing that he so adamantly thought of himself as her _son_. "Tom, I am sorry that I kept this from you for so long, but you must understand that I was only doing it to protect Delphinus." She was also disturbed by his demand that she not keep any secrets from him, as her biggest secret of all had her stomach churning in worry. What would he think if he knew the truth? "And yes, I am your mum, but parents and children do _not_ share every secret with one another."

"Just tell me, how long has this affair with Radalphus been going on? Hmm? Just how long have you been living this double life?" Tom asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

She was shocked by just how much of a man he looked like in that moment. He wasn't her little boy anymore, and he could handle more things. "Almost six years." She said with a whisper, feeling tears spring to her eyes. She felt _so guilty_ , almost as if she'd betrayed Tom. She could hear the shuffle of his feet on the gravel walk, and for a moment she thought that he was walking away from her, only to be wrapped in the warm embrace of his arms.

"It's okay, mother. I know you didn't _mean_ to do anything wrong." He said, holding her head against his chest, so that she couldn't see his pained expression. "I just want to look after you. I just want you to be happy." Even though he could understand why she did it, it didn't make it any easier to swallow. But, at the same time, he knew that he was keeping huge secrets from her.

Hermione pulled back so that she could look up at him again. "Radalphus makes me happy." She whispered, knowing that it was the truth. The last year had been one of the happiest of her life, the only real spanner in the works being the adoption, but now that it was taken care of, Hermione saw no reason why she shouldn't get her happily ever after.

* * *

 **August 24th, 1946**

It was a rare occasion that all the Slytherin boys got together, but Tom wanted it to occur at least a few times a year. Today was an exciting time because they had two new graduates to join them. Malfoy's smile and money ensured that they got a private room at a new restaurant in Diagon Alley, and Edmond ensured that all the proper privacy spells were put up.

Edmond had recently passed from an apprentice into a full time Curse Breaker at Gringotts. He was apparently well liked by goblin standards, and was gaining _lots_ of experience with all sorts of dark curses that he was always excited to talk about. He was the first of the boys to get married, to his Hogwarts sweetheart, Henrietta Flint. The new Etta Lestrange was already glowing back from their honeymoon.

Abraxas worked in the Ministry's Department of Records. It was a boring job for the blond, but Tom was sure that he didn't actually spend that much time doing actual work, in favor of sleeping with his secretary - a last act of defiance to his betrothed, whom he was to marry the following year.

Dmitri worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation as a Liaison to the Russian Ministry. Apparently, his mum was only too thrilled as it afforded him a lot of time to head home to Moscow. She'd been very annoyed to learn that he was going to remain in England, but he'd made it clear that he would go wherever Tom wanted him to. He was cultivating all sorts of useful contacts, with Tom's promise that he'd be appointed Department Head when Tom became Minister.

Bernard was working in the Wizengamot with his father. Avery Senior was quite elderly, and it was his plan to retire as soon as possible. It seemed that he was taking to the job alright, though it was clear it wasn't his passion. If Tom had to put a wager on it, the only thing that Avery was passionate about was getting into fights. He wondered what the wizard would think of muggle boxing.

"I plan to accept the position offer at Gringotts, to be a Curse Breaker." Reggie Carrow said, proudly. Of course, it was quite prestigious to get a job offer from Gringotts. Plus, Tom was very interested in the way that muggle finance could be applied to wizarding finance, so the more friends he had intimately knowledgeable about the way the goblins worked, the better. He didn't want his term to be marred with another Goblin Rebellion after all.

"And what about you, Alfred?" Tom asked, feeling that he had a kinship with the young man. He'd grown into a rather tall individual, though he seemed uncomfortable with his height. His face had lost some of it's rabbity quality, but it was true that he'd never be considered classically handsome. Still, he was very intelligent, and Tom knew that he had a lot of job offers.

"I don't really know what I want to do." Alfred said. "I have several offers - Gringotts, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but I am really curious about...the Department of Mysteries." He look up cautiously, as though he were looking for Tom to be...disappointed in his choice of career. Really, Tom was just glad that he looked up to him enough to want Tom's approval.

"That's an excellent choice, Alfred." Tom said with a grin. "I've always been curious about what goes on in their walls. I understand that there is current research into the Mysteries of Time that is very promising." It would be good to have someone inside the Department of Mysteries, to let him know everything that was going on in there. He didn't want to get blindsided by anything, after all.

* * *

 **October 3rd, 1946**

It was true that with three children under the age of five, it was difficult for Hermione to keep up with a very active social life, but she always made time to visit with her old friend, Flavia. The woman had been a constant companion to her through the years, and luckily, also knew the difficulties of wrangling young children.

Garrad and Delph were of a similar age, and now that Delphinus was a little bit older, they could play easily. Mina and Rosalie were a bit older than the boys, but they were only too excited to trick them into playing tea party, or to dress them up. The twins were a few months over one, now, too, but Hermione still liked to keep them close.

Flavia was only too happy to help her watch them, holding Thibaut in her arms, while Hermione held Odette. Both of the twins hair had gone from curly to wavy as it grew a bit longer, but they had both kept their brown eyes. "Oh, isn't he just darling?" Flavia gushed over the little boy, who was only too happy to be held. He was a very needy child. "Thibaut looks so _much_ like Delphinus, it's uncanny."

Hermione gave her friend a nervous smile, and busied herself with fixing Odette's dress. "Well, I am mother to both of them. Perhaps they just look like me. You didn't see what I looked like as a child." Hermione immediately regretted how defensive her words had sounded, as Flavia's head whipped up to look at her.

"Hermione is there something you aren't tell me?" Flavia asked, a surprised grin on her face. "Oh, all those years ago, Gareth told me that he thought...well, that time we had a dinner party with you and Radalphus, but I didn't believe him that something…" Her grin only grew broader as she began to put two and two together. "Why, Hermione, you've been a very naughty girl haven't you?"

Instantly, Hermione felt her hackles rise. Just because the adoption was complete didn't mean that she wanted the secret about Delphinus to get out. She hoped that over the years, people would forget that Cygnus Black had never been part of the equation. "Flavia." Hermione said, hoping the the warning edge was clear in her voice.

"Oh, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I won't even tell Gareth." She said with a huff. "Salazar knows that man is insufferable when he is proved right."

The brunette relaxed with the promise. She knew that she could trust Flavia, after so many years of friendship. In any case, Flavia likely owed Hermione a life debt for saving her from Grindelwald's people all those years ago, so she could always call in her favor if she needed to. "Thank you." Hermione said quietly, making sure that she never actually confirmed Flavia's suspicions.

"I just wish you would have told me, I mean...Radalphus very handsome isn't he? Sort of exotic and those yes - they promise passion." Flavia said with a sigh, brushing Thibaut's hair from his face.

Hermione scowled. "Flavia! That is my husband that you are talking about!" She knew that her friend wasn't seriously interested in Radalphus, but still, Hermione couldn't stop the little jealous streak that she had when Radalphus was involved. She intended to keep him.

"Haha, I am only teasing you, Hermione." Flavia said, hiding a giggle behind her hand. "Besides you know that I am besotted with Gareth. He is stately and... _commanding_."

Unable to hide her giggle, Hermione tried not to think too hard on the idea of Gareth being commanding, and she tried to change the subject to Graeme's first year at Hogwarts, something that Flavia was only too excited to talk about. Hermione knew that she'd be able to give good advice, too, seeing as she'd already sent Tom off to Hogwarts all those years ago.

* * *

 **November 12th, 1946**

Tom stood in the center of the Minister's office, looking the image of professional in his freshly pressed robes, neatly groomed hair and suave smile. "Good afternoon, Minister. Miss St. Martin told me that you wanted to speak with me?" He inquired, trying to sound surprised. He knew everything that was going on in the Minister's office, and so he of course knew that this meeting had been planned for over a week.

"Yes, Tom, please, have a seat." The Minister indicated a chair across his desk, before steepling his fingers whilst he waited for Tom to comply. Leonard Spencer-Moon was an ambitious wizard, having made his way from tea boy to Minister over the years. He had been elected for a second term, making him a relatively popular Minister. He'd been the one to run on the platform that Grindelwald was dangerous, but Grindelwald was gone now, leaving Minister Spencer-Moon somewhat obsolete in Tom's eyes. He'd served his purpose.

The Minister cleared his throat. "You know, Tom, I don't think I tell you enough how much I appreciate your service to the Ministry. Things have been moving through so quickly, and I don't think I've ever heard of such a success rate for passing legislation." His moustache hide a smile. "Did you know that Senior Undersecretary Whimple will be retiring?"

Tom acted surprised. "No, Minister. I had no idea." Of course Tom knew that Whimple was retiring. It had been easy enough to arrange, as Whimple was not very good at hiding secrets, and Tom discovered his Italian mistress easily enough. All it took as a little bit of blackmail to get the man to retire, lest his wife find out the truth.

"Well, I've spoken with Senior Undersecretary Whimple, and we are in agreement that you are the most suitable replacement to take over his post." Minister Spencer-Moon said proudly. "Congratulations Tom, you are certainly going places. I think you will be the youngest Undersecretary in the history of the Ministry! I better hope that you aren't coming for my own spot."

Pushing his hair back, Tom laughed charmingly. "Oh, thank you, sir. But don't worry, I think your seat is safe from me for now. I don't have nearly enough experience to take your seat, not when you've kept the Wizarding world safe." Early on in his life, Tom had realized that people loved to hear what they wanted to hear. Just heap a little bit of praise on the man, and his mind was completely free from any additional worry that Tom might actually challenge him for his position as Minister.

Only, nothing could be further from the truth.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I have been so excited to post this chapter basically from the beginning so I am so excited to hear what you think! I'd love to know if you are #TeamArabella or if you are still #TeamMelanie! That is certainly not decided yet. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.**

 **Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty-one and be on the lookout for forty-two soon!**

* * *

 **March 18th, 1947**

Hermione was in her office, working on the latest legislation she was proposing in the Wizengamot. It was something that she'd become very passionate about over the years, expanding the muggle studies curriculum and creating a class on wizard studies for muggleborn students. There had been so many things that had come as a total shock to her when she was just entering Hogwarts, and she'd committed many social faux pas that she could have easily avoided if she knew what to expect. She hoped that it would allow muggleborn students to better integrate into the wizarding world, and thus, prevent them from being quite so looked down upon by wizarding families.

Her continued focus on work was a frequent topic of discussion between Hermione and Radalphus, but as the months had gone by, and he'd seen how successful she could be at achieving a "work-life balance", he'd been more and more open to the arrangement. As it was, Hermione continued to do all of her research and preparation from home, unless she had to go into the library to copy sources. She was excited to begin proposing legislation again, hoping that she would be able to affect real change.

But, she could honestly say that she loved the freedom of working from home. She could go and visit with the twins, or play tag with Delphinus in the back garden whenever she wanted to. It would have been hard to be separated from her children so much, and she was constantly reminded of how lucky she was to have this available to her. Hermione was more than aware that many muggle women in the future would not have this luxury.

The children were fairly good about not disturbing her when she was busy, as they all quite liked their nanny, Clara. So, she was surprised when Delph came through the door, running to her leg and wrapping his arms around her. He buried his face in her side, so Hermione could feel the great, gasping sobs that wracked his tiny body.

Picking her son up in her arms, Hermione settled the little boy on her lap, pushing his wavy hair back out of his face, so she could get a good look at him. "Delphinus, darling, what's the matter?" She asked soothingly, seeing that his brown eyes were still swimming with tears.

"Sea-mus, Sea-mus, won't w-wake up." He could barely get out through big gulps of air, before he started crying even more.

Hermione could feel her heart clench, knowing how close the little boy was with the dog, who had been a constant companion through their years together. But Hermione also realized that Seamus was getting up there in age for an Irish wolfhound, who didn't live long on account of their larger bodies. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, Hermione stood up. "Where is he my love?" She asked.

"In the garden, by the big tree." Delphinus said, finally calming down a little bit.

Nodding to her son, Hermione carried him up to his room, before getting a calming draught for the little boy to have a sip of. He would have to have a little rest, and then, once he'd calmed down a bit, Hermione knew that she'd likely have the inevitable task of telling him that his dog had died. "Why don't you close your eyes for a little nap? We can talk this afternoon." She promised, watching as the potion worked it's magic. He wasn't even able to keep his eyes open.

Apparating out to the back garden, and walked over to Seamus's favorite tree. It wasn't hard to see the hulking dog, and seeing him now, almost looking like he was sleeping, it wasn't difficult to pick out all the silver fur that had come in on his face. He was a good dog, but he had been old. She couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes, surprised by just how affected she was. Seamus was the last thing connecting her to Cygnus, but she would certainly miss the gentle giant.

Remembering the way that Harry had dug Dobby's own grave - insisting that he do it by hand - Hermione was overcome with the same sense of need. Breaking a branch off of the tree, she transfigured it into a sturdy shovel to give Seamus the proper sending off that he deserved.

* * *

 **July 3rd, 1947**

Tom took a sip of his wine, trying to focus on the words coming out of the pretty girl's full lips. When Mercedes had introduced him to one of her friends at a party earlier that summer, he never would have expected to be going steady with her a month later, but here he was, chatting with her about her life's banalities.

While he and Arabella Montague were not particularly well suited to one another, he could admit that they got on well enough. He was a bit embarrassed that he didn't remember her at all from Hogwarts, but she was in Mercedes's year in Ravenclaw, so it was likely that they hadn't previously had a reason to interact before. She was smart enough to keep up with him intellectually, with a keen wit, and a sharp tongue. Still, she was entirely too enthralled with Divination for his tastes, and her eyes tended to glaze over whenever he talked about legislation, but they could carry a decent conversation.

It didn't hurt that she was very pretty. Unlike most of the girls that he encountered, Arabella wore her long blonde hair down in huge, wavy curls, rather than tying them up. Her green eyes always seemed to promise mischief and fun, and Salazar did he love her mouth. She was very confident and forward in bed, for a pureblooded girl from a well to do family, Tom thought. They hadn't had sex yet, but she had showed him the wonders of oral sex, something that even the Italian girls didn't do, but he'd heard about before. And, to his delight, she was perfectly content to let him study her body, her reactions, wanting to learn everything that she rewarded with breathy little moans.

"Tom." She said, using that tone of voice that indicated she was going to ask something of him. "When are you going to get your own flat?" She used her fork to push her food around her half-empty plate, not hungry any more, just needing something to distract.

"I thought you purebloods were all about living at home until you got married." Tom said, setting his fork and knife down. "And sometimes still living with your parents after that." His mind drifted to his step sister Dorea, who lived with the Potters at Potter Manor. He didn't particularly fancy the idea of that, knowing that he would want his own space.

Her fingers carded through her hair, pushing it over to one side of her face, giving him a sultry look. "I think that having your own apartment is rather cosmopolitan." She said, before nudging his calf with her barefoot, high heel discarded under the table. "And, just think of all the alone time we could have if you lived alone. I might even be able to stay over sometimes."

Now _that_ was tempting, Tom thought with a smirk. "Is that so?" He asked, loving the way that her mind thought. It was true that he didn't exactly fancy having _alone time_ with Arabella with his mum just down the hallway, and Delphinus was in that very _curious_ sort of age, where he opened doors without knocking constantly. "Well, I suppose with my new promotion, I could definitely afford a flat. Merlin knows it pays well enough." Tom was a little shocked by just how large of a salary increase he'd received.

"I know that daddy would...think it important that you'd proved you could manage a household." Arabella said, her eyes dropping immediately to her remains of her pasta.

That was one big problem with the flighty girl. She had no more ambition than to be married as quickly as possible, and it was clear that she had since set her sights on him. It wasn't that Tom didn't _want_ to get married. He knew that he did, but he also didn't want to rush into it. He remembered only too clearly that marriage bonds were until _death_ do us part, and the way that it had trapped his mum. He didn't want to be trapped with a woman that he would come to loath. And there was no telling how he'd feel about Arabella in another month.

Still, he wanted to see where it would go. "Well, perhaps I can start looking for a flat. Just to see what's on the market." He promised her.

Arabella squealed in delight. "Oh thank you Tommy!" She said, coming around the table to give him a lingering kiss, slightly inappropriate for their public venue. "I just know you won't regret this decision." He couldn't stop is groan from her lascivious tone.

* * *

 **July 14th, 1947**

Once Edmond called them and told them it was Etta's time, Hermione and Radalphus had packed up their children, and made their way to Edmond's home to wait for the labor to be over. It was the first time that Hermione had been to their new home, knowing that the couple hadn't really had time to get settled in their new manor house, seeing as Etta had had a difficult pregnancy so far. Hermione hoped that her labor was easier.

It was odd to see Radalphus try and comfort Edmond, who was a nervous wreck while his new bride tried to bring their child forth into the world. Of course, Radalphus had a lot of experience of being a father, and he was only too happy to pass on his wisdom.

"You know, your mother labored for more than a day with you." He said, thinking of fond times. Hermione certainly did not begrudge him the memories of his first wife, knowing that Radalphus _had_ loved her. Still, she knew that he could love her fully, without the memory of his first wife, hanging like a shadow over their relationship.

When Edmond could wait no longer, though, he made his way up to his own room to be with Etta. "Fuck the rules. I am going to go help my wife. I don't care what people say." Hermione couldn't help but smile at her stepson, knowing that it was a big deal for him to go against such traditions.

Hermione was surprised when Etta requested that _she_ come into the birth room as well. "Thank you Madame Lestrange. It's just...I know you've gone through this more recently than mum." Etta had grimaced as another contraction rolled over her body. Hermione was more than honored to help the girl through her labor, though she wasn't entirely sure what to do except to give calming words of advice. Hermione had never participated in any birth that wasn't her own.

Soon, though, the newest son of the house Lestrange came into the world, screaming from a very healthy set of lungs. Hermione and Etta's mother quickly worked to clean the boy off before returning him to Etta's waiting arms. "I will give you some privacy." Hermione said with a fond smile, looking at the little tuft of dark auburn hair on the boy's head. "I will let the other's know that it's a boy."

Heading back down the stairs, Tom had joined Radalphus and Mister Flint, and the trio was working to keep Delph, Thibaut and Odette entertained. Hermione's heart ached to see Odette in Tom's lap, while he was reading her a story book, though it mostly involved her pointing at pictures and telling him what the various animals were. Tom was so patient.

"It's a boy." Hermione said, brightly. "Everything went smoothly. No name yet, but I am sure Edmond will tell us shortly." Hermione had a good idea of what the little boy was going to be called, but she wasn't positive. Remembering the way that she'd doomed Cassiopeia with her angry words, Hermione was determined to treat Edmond's son as if she didn't know his future.

Approximately an hour later, Edmond came down the stairs, proudly cradling a little bundle to his chest. "May I present Rodolphus Edmond Lestrange." He sat down on the couch, next to his father and Delphinus. "Look, Delph, this is your nephew. Would you like to hold him?"

Delphinus was only too happy to take the little baby into his arms, with Radalphus's help. Hermione watched as her husband instructed their son on how to hold the new baby's neck just so, getting them settled, before he clapped his eldest on the back, obviously so proud and happy for him. It was a night and day difference from when Cygnus had held little Cygnus the first time.

Hermione's heart was so full of love for her family, and she was determined that they would have the bright future they deserved.

* * *

 **September 19th, 1947**

Tom had found a flat easily enough after it was suggested to him by Arabella. He knew that it was time for him to start being more adult and taking on more responsibilities if he still wanted to become Minister of Magic soon. After all, who would vote for him if he still lived with his mum? His girlfriend was only too excited to learn about the new flat, and had started a campaign to get him fully moved in, and insert some of her style into the decorating.

Once everything was set up, though, he decided to have a housewarming party and, because of the timing, he combined it with his mum's birthday, wanting to celebrate her as well. He was able to invite some of their colleagues from the Wizengamot, as well as the assorted friends that his mum had picked up over the years.

Looking around the party, he say MacMillian chatting with Flint, which was positive. He was sure that it was no secret to MacMillian that Abbott hadn't been invited and Tom hoped he got the message. Flavia was chatting with Etta, who was happy to have a night away from her new baby, even if it was only for a few hours. Dorea and Pollux were happily reunited as well.

His eyes narrowed when he located Arabella chatting with his mum. The girl was nothing if not determined, Tom knew, though he found it a bit irritating. He wasn't going to marry someone he'd only been dating for a few months, especially not when Melanie still popped into his head on various occasions. He knew that his dating Arabella made the brunette girl very jealous.

Walking over to where to two women were standing, Tom pressed his hand to the small of Arabella's back. "Darling, could you check on the kitchen? I want to make sure that the cake and champagne is prepared for the toasts." If Arabella wanted this to be her household, she could do all of the work for it.

Once the blonde was far away, having pressed a kiss to Tom's cheek, Hermione gave him a weak smile. "She seems...nice. Very traditional." It was not hard to tell that his mum hadn't gotten the best first impression of the girl, who was acting as though she and Tom were already married.

"Yes, well, she's very...sweet." Tom said finally, not really wanting to discuss his girlfriend at that moment. He had something that he wanted to give his mum disguised as a birthday gift, but he had a bit of an ulterior purpose for it. Since he was moving out, it was only right to leave one of his horcruxes behind, not to mention that it gave him better protection. "I wanted to give you something, a little birthday present."

He reached into his pocket pulling out Slytherin's locket, feeling the weight of it in his hands. His mum smiled broadly at him. "Oh, Tom, you didn't have to get me a present. You know that seeing how successful you are, making me so proud, that's enough of a gift for me."

Tom nodded, showing her the emerald pendant. "Still, I wanted to give you something - I want you to have a little piece of me forever."

Hermione's eyes widened at his words, and at seeing what it was. It had been many years since she'd seen Slytherin's locket, but she would never forget it after wearing it for so many months in that bloody tent. In many ways, it was a symbol of the worst time of her life. His words, too, had put her on edge. Her breathing increased while she pondered the possibility that he might have...

He moved behind her, gently laying the necklace around her neck. Hermione automatically moved her hair out of the way, allowing him to secure the clasp, leaving the necklace hanging off her neck like a weight. As soon as it had settled against her skin, she _knew_. Her body reacted almost violently to the dark magic, as her heartbeat pounded through her brain and her mind was filled with swirling thoughts, overwhelming despair, and failure.

Struggling to catch her breath, Hermione touched the emerald stone. "It's too much, Tommy. I couldn't possibly..." How was it possible that her little boy, her sweet little boy had done something so sinister? How long had this gone on without her noticing? She'd failed Tom, she'd failed the Wizarding world, she'd failed Harry. It wasn't a huge guess to know that this _horcrux_ was created by the _murder_ of Cygnus Black.

"It was Merope's." Tom said quietly, coming back to face her. "It was recently released to me from my Uncle's possessions after he died. But, I want you to have it. I couldn't imagine anyone else keeping it."

Hermione knew that wasn't true, and she was horrified at the ease with which her son was able to lie to her. Just what else had he been lying about and...what other horrific things had he done. Blinking away her tears, she saw as Tom gave her a fond smile, thinking that she was so happy she was tearing up. If only he knew the truth of her thoughts. He pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Don't cry mother. Now, wait here, I just have to go organize the toast." He said before turning away.

She could feel all the blood draining from her face while her thoughts swirled and she wondered, what she should do. It was true that her past had finally caught up with her, and she had difficult decisions to make. She wanted to scream.

Radalphus came up to her, settling a hand on her lower back. "What is the matter ma mie? You look so pale." His concern was clearing etched on his face.

"I'm not feeling well." Hermione said, feeling her body run riot against her. "I would like to leave now." She whispered.

"The toast is about to begin, and then we will leave immediately after." Radalphus promised, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Hermione leaned her body into his, hoping to absorb some of his strength. _Radalphus_. His name caused an ache in her chest when she realized that this was something she could no longer afford to hide from her husband, and she thought of what he might think of her...

Tom Riddle did not need a sonorus charm to get a room's attention. When he spoke, people listened. "Thank you all for joining me tonight, marking not only a new step in my life - forging my own household - but also, celebrating the birthday of my beautiful mother." The crowd politely clapped, searching out Hermione's face. "Many of you are surely aware of the sacrifices that she made for me. She is not my biological mother, but rather my cousin, having set aside her own life, and adopting me at age nineteen. Since then, she has made every sacrifice, ensuring that I would have a happy and carefree life."

Hearing such kind words out of her son's mouth, recognizing her sacrifices almost made Hermione a bit mad. How dare he do this to her after everything that she had given up for him. After everything that she'd done for him! Still, the plastered a smile on her face, and tried not to let her thoughts get the better of her.

"I could not have asked for someone better to be my mother. Her love for me has allowed me to achieve a great many things, and my love for her has pushed me to be a better man. I wouldn't be where I am today without her, and my mother is truly my best friend. So please join me, in raising a toast to her, Hermione Lestrange!" He raised his glass of champagne, looking around the room as everyone joined him before drinking deeply.

Hermione made eye contact with her son, hoping he didn't recognize the turmoil inside of her, the fear roiling off of her due to the horcrux around her neck. She drank all the champagne in her glass in one swallow, before turning to Radalphus with flushed cheeks. "Please take me home, now, Radalphus. I want to go home."


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N:** Thank you all so so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am glad that so many of you were excited for that big reveal. Y'all have no idea how long I've been waiting to read your reactions, haha! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty-two and be on the lookout for forty-three soon!

* * *

 **September 20th, 1947**

By the time that Radalphus had helped Hermione through the floo, her whole body was shaking. Her husband was very concerned for her and had her lie down in their bed, while he went to check on the children, before sending Clara home for the night. The time it took for him to get back felt like hours for Hermione, each second filled with more agony than the last.

Blinking back tears, she used her hands to remove the locket that hung around her neck, knowing that the dark magic of the horcrux was only amplifying every negative feeling that she had until she was nearly drowning in hopelessness. There was no putting it off. She had to come clean to Radalphus once and for all.

Looking up at him when he came back into the room, Hermione gave him a sorry look. "Radalphus, there is something that I need to tell you." She whispered, breaking the stillness of the room. She could tell from the way that his face transformed that he was immediately put on edge, his body taking on a stiffness while he crossed the room to join her on the bed. "Before we go any farther, though, I need to ask you for an Unbreakable Vow. Once I have told you everything, you can leave me and I will understand, but I can't let you jeopardize...everything."

"Ma mie, what is it you could have possibly done to make me never want to speak to you again?" He asked her, his voice cracking with concern. Hermione couldn't even begin to understand what was going through his mind...what was the worst thing that he was imagining? Noticing, perhaps, that she wasn't going to budge, Radalphus compiled and extended his arm. "I vow on my magic not to repeat anything said in this room that my wife Hermione Lestrange is about to tell me, without express permission from my wife."

Hermione sighed, feeling the vow sink into her skin, and knowing that she was at least protected a little bit. "I, Hermione Lestrange, vow on my magic to tell my husband, Radalphus Lestrange, the truth." It was a simple vow, but she knew that it would go a long way in proving her story.

Using her wand, Hermione removed the glamour from her arm, revealing the scar that Bellatrix had left in her skin all those years ago. Yes, it had faded some, but it was incredibly jarring to see such a horrendous word after seeing nothing but unblemished flesh for so long. Radalphus took her hand in his, his fingers tracing over the letters in the slur. "Why would someone do this to you?"

"Because...because I am a muggleborn witch, Radalphus." Hermione said nervously. She was not ashamed of her heritage. On the contrary, she was very proud and it had been hard to play the role of dutiful pureblood wife all these years. "And, I got it during a war. I was captured, and my captor hoped that if she...tortured me, that I might tell her some useful information." She blinked, and felt some tears run down her cheeks. It was a painful memory, even after so much time had passed.

Radalphus wiped the tears from her cheeks. "But, you are Hermione Millefeuille. You are not muggleborn." He said, clearly confused.

"No, I am Hermione Granger. Millefeuille was just a named that I plucked out of history when I came here." She told him. Realizing that she was doing a terrible job of explaining the situation, she knew she had to tell him the facts. "I am Hermione Granger, a muggleborn witch. I was born on September 19th...1979. I adopted the name Millefeuille when I arrived here in the past."

His face was distorted in confusion. "But, the Millefeuilles…"

"Yes, they had a daughter, but she was likely killed by Grindelwald with them." Hermione said, her eyes dropping to her lap. "I know that I've stolen her identity, her memory, but I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was necessary."

"What could possibly be so important that you would go decades back into the past, inserting yourself into our lives?" Radalphus asked, not sneering at her, but rather looking quite...disappointed in her. For the first time in a very long time, Hermione felt distinctly like an intruder, but she supposed that was how she must seem to Radalphus.

Hermione sighed. "In my time, there had not only been one great wizarding war, but two. It was started because a great dark wizard, calling himself Lord Voldemort, wanted to eradicate muggleborns. He was believed to be killed once, when I was just a baby. But he had made horcruxes and he was able to come back while I was a student at Hogwarts. Many people were killed, but eventually, he was felled by my best friend in the whole world. He died, too. But the fighting never stopped." Hermione told him, her eyes unable to look up from her scar. "I spent basically all of my childhood fighting against Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters."

Radalphus took her arm in his hand again, cradling it against his chest so that he could look at the scar more closely. "And you got this from one of these Death Eaters?" He asked, his mouth sounding out both of the words that didn't seem like they should go together. "Who was it?" He'd felt her stiffen under the attention.

"She was called...Bellatrix Lestrange." Hermione said quickly. "Not your blood, she might someday be Rodolphus's wife. She was known as Bellatrix Black."

Radalphus let her hand drop. "But why would you come back here, if it only meant that you would have to face your attackers." He sucked in a deep breath. "Please don't tell me you mean to kill my grandson."

Hermione shook her head violently. "Never!" The idea of killing a baby was deplorable to her, especially since she was determined to give baby Rodolphus a happier life. "I came back, because Lord Voldemort left such a horrible scar on the wizarding world. I just thought that if I could show him love, rather than him growing up unwanted in a muggle orphanage, he might turn out better."

She watched as the gears turned in his mind, before he had a violent reaction. "Tom?" He questioned, only to watch her nod. "I don't believe it. He's...he's such...he's ambitious and going places." He said weakly, seeming to understand that all the traits that made her son a successful wizard could also make him an effective, power hungry, dark wizard. "What do you mean you thought you could make a difference?" He trailed off.

"The timeline is already changed." She assured him. "Tom Riddle grew up in an orphanage, he's killed a student while at Hogwarts, and he'd killed his muggle father as well, by the time that he'd graduated Hogwarts. He worked at Borgin and Burkes and continued to delve into the Dark Arts. My Tom is so different than Lord Voldemort." Hermione reached over to the nightstand, grabbing the horcrux, before putting it in his hands. "But, he gave me that tonight. It's a horcrux, Radalphus." Hermione whispered, feeling the tears form in her eyes again. "I've failed everything, because that means...Tom has murdered someone to split his soul. And I know who it is. Cygnus."

The tears that threatened to spill before, now ran down her cheeks freely, seeing Radalphus's face distorted in rage. "Hermione, my son!" Radalphus yelled at her, before shoving the horcrux back into her hands. "Edmond is…" He ran his hands through his hair. "Edmond is Tom's best friend and that means…" Hermione hadn't even thought about what it would mean for Edmond, too focused on her own failure. But, it would make sense that in the original timeline Edmond would have been one of the first followers.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, acutely feeling all of the pain of her failure. She'd grown so complacent, happy to see her son doing well in the Wizengamot that she didn't even think that anything was wrong. There were so many clues.

"I can't-" Radalphus stood up from the bed abruptly. "I can't stay here." Before Hermione could talk to him, Radalphus apparated away, leaving her alone, wondering if she'd just destroyed the best thing to happen in her life.

* * *

 **October 1st, 1947**

Radalphus had stayed away from her for two days, during which time, she told a concerned Tom that he'd returned to France to sort out a probate issue from his father's death. She was glad that he came back eventually, because she didn't have any good explanation for why their relationship would end so abruptly.

When he returned, he held her close to his body, pressing his face into her hair. He told her that even though he was furious that she hadn't been honest to him from the very beginning, he could understand why she'd omitted the truth. He also recognized how extreme her sacrifice was, and how hard it must have been for her to love the man who might grow up to kill numerous people. "I will always love you, Hermione." He apologized for his future granddaughter-in-law's actions, vowing that no grandchild of his would ever marry a Black. Hermione discouraged him from making such statements, not believing that the future would yield to being changed.

He agreed with her that something needed to be done about Tom and the horcrux, though. "I don't understand why you can't just go to the Ministry with your evidence." He asked her.

"Because, Radalphus, it would look suspicious." Hermione said. She had given it considerable thought, and although she would like to turn Tom in, she knew that it wasn't a good idea. It was no secret that her and Cygnus's death had been fraught and that she benefited immensely from his death. For that matter, Radalphus did as well. She was sure that if Tom were arrested for Cygnus's death, she and Radalphus would be seen as accessories. She had no faith in the Ministry at all to get down to the truth of it.

In the end, Hermione knew that she had to destroy the horcrux, and then confront Tom with her knowledge. Hopefully, she could talk some sense into him and get him to leave the dark magic behind. She still didn't understand why he would have made a horcrux in the first place. Lord Voldemort was petrified of dying, but she hadn't seen any evidence that Tom was.

Knowing that she needed to destroy the horcrux meant that she needed to go to the one man she'd rather avoid at all costs, Dumbledore. Radalphus had agreed, deciding to come along to act as moral support for Hermione. The man agreed to meet them in Hogsmeade one weekend, and Hermione had crafted an airtight Unbreakable Vow for the wiley Professor in order to keep him from telling anyone else about what she told him.

"Dumbledore, please believe that this is not easy for me to say, but I was wrong about Tom." She said, her eyes kept down on the table in the warded backroom that they'd secured. "I've found myself in possession of a horcrux that needs to be destroyed."

"And just why would I help you with that?" Dumbledore asked, all hints of the doddering old Professor erased from his countenance. In it's place was a man that needed to be right, and who relished in her words, not caring what the consequences meant. This was a man who needed to be begged to lift his fingers.

"Sure you agree that having an invincible wizard with great power out and about is a bad thing." Hermione pressed. "In any case, I don't need your help, I really need Hogwarts' help."

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it." He said, lifting one auburn brow. Hermione bristled at the suggestion that she didn't deserve help. But still, Dumbledore's curiosity was piqued. "What help can I provide?"

"The Chamber of Secrets exists, and it's home to a basilisk." Hermione told him flippantly. "The entrance is in the girls' lavatory on the first floor, and can only be accessed by parseltongue. I need some of that basilisk venom to destroy the horcrux."

Dumbledore seemed truly surprised at her pronouncement, nearly looking ready to argue with her that it couldn't possibly be true, but then he held himself back. "I will see what I can do, however, Madame Lestrange, this could take considerable time. You will need to be patient."

Hermione wanted to argue that they didn't have any time, but she knew that wasn't true. Tom thought that the horcrux was safe in her possession, and there was no reason to believe that it was a race against the clock. Smirking at the old man, she couldn't resist getting in one last dig before she left. "Excellent. I assume that you will keep this between us?"

His jaw set in a hard line, but he nodded anyway. In this case, at least, Hermione Lestrange held all of the power.

* * *

 **December 31st, 1947**

Tom stood on the edge of the dance floor, having said he was going for more firewhiskey, but really wanting a break from his girlfriend, Arabella. He could see her even now across the way, chatting with her other horrible friends from school, pouting that he hadn't yet proposed to her. Her father, Montague, had not stopped dropping hints yet that although he was merely a half blood, he had now determined Tom to be a suitable candidate for his daughter's hand.

It made Tom roll his eyes, hating how puffed up these purebloods were, always looking down their noses at him for his blood, despite everything that he'd accomplished since he left school. True, he thought that he should probably find himself a wife soon, knowing that the voting block would look more favorably on a young Minister with a wife, and perhaps a small child as well. He supposed that Arabella could be that woman for him, only she was still so young, and well, she was still so silly.

His mind still conjured the ghost of another woman, who'd only grown more beautiful as the years had gone on, and all of their stolen moments together in the library when he'd been at school. He could still his heart squeeze in anticipation at the sight of Melanie St. Martin whenever he stopped by the Minister's office, feeling her rejection more keenly than ever.

As if she was summoned, Melanie appeared next to him, looking like a dainty fairy in an iridescent dress, though Tom knew better. She was a sharp wit and was the only person, really, who was willing to argue with him over her beliefs. "Happy Birthday, Tom." She said quietly, before taking a sip of champagne.

Cracking a smile for perhaps the first time that evening, Tom raised his glass to her, before taking a drink himself. "Thank you, Melanie. I think you are the only one here who acknowledged the day as my birthday, rather than a time to celebrate the New Year." It was a bit of a muggle tradition, Tom thought, that had bled into Wizarding society, which usually revolved around a more solar calendar. Any excuse to hold a party he supposed.

"Really?" Melanie said, sounding a bit disappointed. "I would have thought that your girlfriend would have wished you a happy birthday. Or at least given you her special present." Tom felt his cheeks blush at the idea of Melanie knowing what kind of things he did with Arabella. Melanie shrugged, before returning her gaze to the blonde girl across the room. "What? She gossips."

Tom thought that was certainly a behavior that would need to be nipped in the bud if his relationship with Arabella was to continue. "No, she is much too hopeful of the prospect that I will notice her disappointed mood at propose to her tonight."

Melanie gasped next to him. "You aren't really going to propose to her are you? Do you honestly like Arabella Montague, Tom?" She sounded a bit desperate, as though the idea of him slipping from her grasp was too terrible to bare.

He turned to smirk at her, taking a step closer to her, towering over her. "Now, Melanie, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you are jealous of Arabella." A blush bloomed on the brunette's cheeks, horrified at being so transparent in her feelings. Tom turned away from her with a sneer. "Now you know how I felt at Hogwarts when you rejected me."

"I didn't reject you, Tom." Melanie said, moving her body to stand in front of him. "I just hoped that if you saw me with someone else you would realize...you would realize how much you liked me and actually ask me on a proper date for once!" With her flushed cheeks and curly brown hair, she really looked quite pretty, even though she was spitting mad.

Tom sighed. "I've apologized for that, Melanie, and you made it clear that there was no hope for a future for us together, no chance to rekindle what we had." He watched as she leaned into him a little bit, on the edge of her seat to his words. "And so, I've decided to move on with someone who will give me the time of day.

"And if I admit that I was foolish...if I admit that I would still like to rekindle…" Melanie said, her eyes trained on the buttons of his stylish dress robes. "Would there still be a future for us?"

Despite wanting to grab her and apparate away with her so that he could love her through the night, Tom knew that perception was everything. He couldn't just cheat on Arabella at a Ministry function and then show up for work as though he hadn't snubbed a nice, pureblood girl. "When you have the answer to that, Melanie, when you decide what you really want, you know where to find me." He said with finality, before sweeping away from her, and off to take Arabella for a turn about the ballroom.

* * *

 **January 16th, 1948**

It was odd for Tom to be back in Hogsmeade village now that he was no longer a student. It was an unusual town - very quiet when the students weren't in for a visit - but still quaint. It was the kind of place that everyone knew everyone's business before sundown. That meant, he needed to make a show of his visit.

Stopping off at the bookshop first, Tom made a show of looking for a rare book that he hadn't been able to track down in London. Remember such a voracious reader from his school days, the owner of Tomes and Scrolls helped him to look for a book on the history of animagi, under the guise of starting a registry for known animagi at the Ministry. The man was only too happy to help. Although he didn't have the book when Tom was asking after, he did promise to make some inquiries for him.

After that, Tom was free to patronize the Hog's Head without it causing too much attention. After all, the dingy little pub was on the public floo network. The pub was mostly empty save for one or two regulars who hid away in their corners. Aberforth noticed him immediately, and pulled down two glasses for firewhiskey. "Undersecretary Riddle." He said in greeting, mockingly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Aberforth, pleasant company as always, I see." Tom said with a smirk. "Wonderful news about your brother, taking down Grindelwald once and for all, isn't it?" He pressed the other man. "Of course, he is out there, reaping all of the glory, while you toil away at this pub, knowing the truth."

"What truth is that?" Aberforth tried to play dumb.

"That he's no hero at all." Tom said succinctly. "That he murdered your sister in his quest for power, back when he and Grindelwald were still friends." He drained the rest of his firewhiskey, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary. "Look, Aberforth. I am in the position to do something about this - to finally hold your brother accountable for his actions. The only problem is, before I can move forward, I need a complaining witness. That's where you come in."

Aberforth was reeling. "You want me to make a complaint against my brother?" He asked, weathered face scrunched in confusion.

"Exactly." Tom said, standing from his spot at the bar. "It would be best if you made the complaint sometime in the near future so that I don't have to come back here to talk to you again. Understand?" Waiting for the message to sink in, Tom walked towards the public floos to leave the Hog's Head behind.

Everything was falling into place.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Seriously, I am so so blown away that this surpassed the 2k review mark. So thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have no idea how much it means to me. I know that there is a lot of story to pack into this chapter and next, so I will stop rambling and get to the show!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty-three and be on the lookout for chapter forty-four soon!

* * *

 **March 29th, 1948**

When Dumbledore had told her it would take time to open the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione had been patient and willing to wait. Now, though, with six months passed, Hermione had lost all patience for a man who liked to portray himself as doddering old fool. She'd told him exactly where the entrance was, and she'd even told him what the secret password was. It was enough to make her go to Hogwarts herself.

Kissing a concerned looking Radalphus on the cheek, Hermione left to Floo to the school, showing up in Headmaster Dippet's office. Cursing herself for not remembering that Professor Dumbledore wasn't Headmaster quite yet (a fact that she would keep from the man at all costs), Hermione smiled at Headmaster Dippet and told him that she had to speak with Professor Dumbledore on some topic.

To her relief, the other man did not press her on her reason for visiting, and instead told her that their new Arithmancy apprentice, Bertram Higgs, would escort her to Professor Dumbledore's office. She made polite chit chat with the boy, bidding him good day, before knocking on Dumbledore's office, surprising him.

He offered her inside, and plied her with sweets and tea, but he could not put her off of her purpose for coming. "I've been trying to find another speaker of the language, Madame Lestrange, though, truthfully, with Morfin Gaunt dead, I believe that your son is the last known speaker of parselmouth."

"You don't need to be a native speaker to open the Chamber." Hermione said, thinking of how Ron had had success, just from mimicking Harry. She set down her teacup on Dumbledore's desk, giving him an imperious look, hoping that he realized how disappointed she was in him. Honestly, what was the point of coming to him for help at all.

"I've done several tests with live snakes, but, unfortunately, that has been meet with little success." Dumbledore said, cheeks turning a bit pink under his long auburn beard.

Hermione laughed. "Little success? More like no success. Come, take me to the lavatory now and I will try this myself." Hermione was confident that if Ron had been able to do it, that she could produce similar sounds herself. Leading the way from the Office, Hermione was glad that Dumbledore didn't say anything to her about her knowledge of the layout of the castle.

She found the appropriate sink easily enough, and attempted to make the correct serpentine sounding syllables. To her dismay, there was no massive moving of stones. "Fuck, Ron made it look so easy." Hermione whispered under her breath, before turning back to look to Dumbledore. "If I didn't need to get into the Chamber, I never would have even involved you." She told the gloating man. "Well, this particular basilisk is not the only source of basilisk venom." She said, smoothing her robes down. "Tom won't know that there is a way to destroy a horcrux, and so there should be no suspicion if you track down some of the venom. Surely, there is some kind of potion that requires basilisk venom as an ingredient. Perhaps you could work with Slughorn on this?"

"Yes, and may I ask how it is that you are so intimately knowledgeable with the methods of the destruction of horcruxes?" Dumbledore asked, curiosity on his face. Hermione knew that Dumbledore likely hated not being the smartest person in the room, always being looked to for how to proceed, and she was sure that she created quite the quagmire for him.

Sniffing in disdain, trying to do her very best Narcissa Malfoy impression, Hermione looked down her nose at the Transfiguration Professor. "No, you may not. Just let me know when you are able to secure the venom."

* * *

 **June 7th, 1948**

Hermione checked all of the refreshments on the table, trying to make sure that everyone was happy and well taken care of on the twins' birthday party. It was hard to believe that Thibaut and Odette were already three years old. As they'd gotten older, it was clear that Thibaut was growing into a miniature of Delphinus, and that he loved trying to emulate his older brother, who was eager to head off to Hogwarts in a few years, especially after hearing details from Graeme Greengrass.

Odette on the other hand had grown to be a bit like a mini-Hermione, though her hair was much better behaved, easily styled into little pigtails or cascading ponytails. She did have her father's dark brown eyes, though, and his easy smile. There was no one she loved more than her big brother, Tommy, who always took time to read to her. She was already well ahead of other children her age, and she was positive that it was due to Tom's influence.

It was odd for Hermione to watch them together, when she was still so heartbroken by knowing that Tom was a murderer. How was it possible that he could act so normal, so doting, and still have done something so incredibly vile? She often noticed all of the good that he was doing for the wizarding world, and it was a night and day difference from the Lord Voldemort of her past. She'd obviously changed him so much but had it been enough?

She'd almost asked Radalphus about just obliviating her the other day, so that she would never have known that he'd made a horcrux and she could have gone on living in blissful ignorance. But, she knew that her husband would never agree to that, and he certainly agreed that destroying the horcrux was the best possible outcome of this.

"They almost look like they could be there own little family." Flavia said, coming to stand next to Hermione. She realized that her oldest friend was talking about Tom, Odette and his new girlfriend, Melanie St. Martin. Hermione had been very glad when Tom had split from his previous girlfriend, Arabella, who Hermione thought was nice but not right for Tommy. When he'd started dating his old Hogwarts not long after, Hermione was happy to meet the girl. She was opinionated, but sweet, and a half blood. Hermione had also been impressed to learn that Melanie was beginning a Mastery.

Hearing Flavia's words had her heart stuttering. She supposed that they did rather look like a family. It was hard, remembering how little Tommy had been, and how much she'd enjoyed having him all to herself. Now, he was getting older, and he didn't need her as much. Of course, she was very happy for him, but it was still odd.

"Yes. I would like nothing more than to see Tom settled and happy. I am hoping that Edmond is a good influence on him." Edmond was in attendance with his wife and his own son. Radalphus doted on Roddy, which Hermione always loved to see. Mercedes had come as well, with one of the Pucey boys, whom Radalphus had been trying to avoid at all costs, lest he ask for permission to marry Mercedes.

Flavia laughed at that. "He is doing well in the Wizengamot. A little domestic bliss would be good for him too. Help balance him out. There is more to life than just politics, after all." Hermione made a small noise in agreement. "You know, she looks a bit like you, with all that curly hair."

That was an odd statement to make, but Hermione supposed that she could see the resemblance. Shaking her head, she knew that Tom hadn't been looking for a woman that had one similar physical characteristic to his mum. You couldn't help who you loved after all.

* * *

 **June 16th, 1948**

The Ministry was in chaos after learning that their Minister of Magic was felled by something as silly as a muggle disease - heart attack. It was sudden, and the healers hadn't been able to do anything to help him. Tom was even caught off guard, as Minister Spencer-Moon typically seemed fit as a fiddle.

Yes, Tom had no hand in the Minister's death, and it certainly put all of his plans in flux. He didn't mean to run for Minister quite so soon, knowing that he was still quite so young, but he had chatted with his Slytherins and they all agreed it was time to move. The Wizarding world was entering a period of peace and prosperity and depending on who it was that took over, they could have a hold on the seat for a long time.

Tom already knew his opponents, as they hadn't waited very long at all to announce their intentions to run. He personally thought it was a bit uncouth to begin campaigning before the funeral even took place, but then again, wizarding politics had always been a bit cutthroat. Octavius MacKay, from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had thrown his hat in the ring first, but he had a reputation for being a bit washed up. More concerning was candidate Wilhelmina Tuft, owner and operator of a vast candy company. Having taken over her father's business, Wilhelmina had expanded the company in a multi-million galleon enterprise. She knew business, but Tom knew politics and he understood people.

Calling a meeting with the Head of the Daily Prophet, with the help of Abraxas Malfoy and surprisingly Pollux Black, Tom was flanked by his tight-lipped mother and stepfather, and step-siblings while he announced his intentions to run for Minister of Magic.

He knew that his mum didn't really approve of his decision, arguing with him that he was much too young, but he knew that she would also support him in whatever it was that she chose to do with his life. He wondered if she was worried about what he would do should he not be elected. It was true that Tom wasn't accustomed to not getting what he wanted.

Well, it wasn't as though that would happen. Tom was confident that he would be elected. Not only did he have a progressive platform that he was sure the average witch or wizard would be excited about, he had plans to revolutionize the way that the economy worked. He just knew that he would have loads of support once he unveiled all of his plans. Not to mention all of the support he'd garnered over the years at Hogwarts and whilst working in the Wizengamot.

And if he didn't end up with a lot of support, well...there were ways of taking down the other two candidates. Everyone had secrets that could be exploited.

With a large enough field of candidates to choose from, the Wizengamot had set a date for the election to be held early next year. That meant he had a few months to increase his recognition and figure out just how to wriggle his way into the hearts of the masses. He'd be 23 then, the youngest Minister in history.

* * *

 **August 9th, 1948**

Barely a month into his campaign, and Tom could already feel all of his opponents criticisms were stacking up against him. While Octavius MacKay had focused on his age and inexperience - a charge that was easily voided when he talked about his extensive legislative record - Tuft had focused on his lack of "traditional" values.

Wilhelmina Tuft could proudly boast that family was important to her, calling to mind how much she worked with her son at their candy company, and how they had turned it into a successful company. Tom was positive that traditional values seemed to be a dig at his half-blood status. While it was true that he had some progressive ideas, it wasn't as though he wanted to adopt muggle life and lift the statute of secrecy! Still, it wasn't a stretch to figure out how to combat those negatives. He just needed to show the wizarding world that he was a family man. It was no doubt that it would be nice to have a young, ambitious and energetic family to parade around, as Minister.

Tom wasn't stupid enough to tell Melanie that the only reason he proposed was for image's sake. Although his girlfriend was incredibly loyal, he didn't think that was a blow their relationship could survive. And he truly did like Melanie...he wasn't sure that he loved her, but he liked her very, very much, and he thought that it was a real possibility that he could be in love with her one day. He was just moving the timeline up a little bit too.

His mum was very pleased, too, completely understanding his desire to have a simple bonding ceremony, much like the ones that she had had. "I think this will be good for you, Tom." His mum had told him that morning, before the bonding ceremony had taken place. "I know that you are so ambitious and I know that you are doing so well in politics, but it's just that...well, power isn't everything, Tommy, and love can change your life in positive ways." It was a bit cryptic, he thought, but he tried to take her words to heart. It wasn't a stretch to realize that he could easily become obsessed with power if he didn't have anything to balance him out.

Even though the wedding had been a private affair, Tom made sure to have a photographer there to document the day. He'd select some of the best to release to the press, perhaps some of him with his little siblings. Odette had made a radiant flower girl and Thibaut had been all too happy to strut around in his miniature dress robes. Perhaps the photos of him with children would let the wizarding world know that he was thinking of the future.

Looking at his bride dancing with Edmond, he was amazed with how happy she looked. At least he knew that she was desperately in love with him. He hoped that one day he could return the sentiment as keenly as she felt it. He was reminded of the girl she was at Hogwarts, quiet and always bothering him in the library, too afraid to stand up to Fitzgerald. He never could have imagined that that girl would one day be his bride.

* * *

 **December 3rd, 1948**

It was truly as if Christmas came early for Hermione when she finally received notice from Dumbledore that he had been able to secure the basilisk venom. His note indicated that she should bring the horcrux to Hogwarts over Yule Break, where they would destroy it together, safely protecting the students from ham.

She could have laughed at the way that he expected her to follow his instructions like a good girl and do as she was told. Instead, she wrote him back and told him in no uncertain terms that he would send her the basilisk venom and have nothing to do with the destruction of the horcrux, or she would go to the press with information about his relationship with Gellert Grindelwald. It felt a little bit bad to know that she was basically blackmailing the man, but she had to remind herself that Dumbledore was no innocent, in their original timeline or now. In any case, that seemed to do the trick, as Dumbledore sent her the vial without incident.

"It came today." Hermione had told Radalphus over lunch. "I've asked Flavia to watch the children tonight. She thinks that we are having a bit of a romantic evening, but unfortunately...we have more ominous plans."

With the children safely out of the way, Hermione and Radalphus set to work, clearing the basement of their home, wanting to prevent as little damage as possible to the house. Hermione had tried to warn her husband that it was likely that the horcrux would try and fight back, as it could easily identify all your hidden insecurities and or your most secret desires. Once that was done, she conjured a bowl and placed the horcrux in.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione could already feel the nerves sinking into her body, as she held the open vial over the necklace. She could only imagine what kind of horrible things that it would taunt her with, seeing as she'd lived nearly a lifetime of things she was ashamed of. Could she really handle having it fling terrible words and thoughts at her in front of Radalphus? What if he decided that he couldn't love her anymore?

Not wanting to wait a moment longer, Hermione tipped the vial upside down, watching the Avada Kedavra green liquid stream down into the bowl, hitting the necklace. The moment that she heard the first scream of the soul piece, dying, Hermione shut her eyes so tightly, not wanting to see the horrible golem of Harry or Ron come to taunt her for the way that she'd chosen to live her life.

She could feel the swirling of the dark magic, the piercing scream as the soul died, and the general tumult that it's destruction created, and then nothing. Cautiously, she opened her eyes, only to see the necklace, all emerald stone and wrought silver horribly mangled and twisted, but the horcrux was undeniably gone. "Huh. That was rather anti-climactic when not done by actually stabbing the thing with a basilisk fang. Last time it tried to drown me." Hermione explained to Radalphus, who actually seemed rather disappointed that it hadn't been more difficult to defeat.

Later, over a strong firewhiskey in their library, Hermione would theorize that perhaps this horcrux didn't fight back because it didn't know it was under attack until it was too late. In the original timeline, the horcrux had escaped destruction several times before they actually got rid of it. Regulus Black and Kreacher had tried to destroy it in every manner they could think of, and she couldn't forget the time in the woods that she, Harry and Ron had tried the same thing. Or, perhaps, this horcrux recognized that she didn't want to hurt Tom, she was trying to help him.

The fact of the matter still stood that she had destroyed half of her son's soul without blinking. She wasn't sure if he would realize that it was gone. Lord Voldemort always seemed to become a little more...unhinged as another part of him died off. This was only one half of the steps that she needed to take if she wanted to save Tom. Now that she'd destroyed his horcrux, she needed to confront him, and try to get him to feel some remorse for what he'd done.

* * *

 **December 4th, 1948**

"To Wilhelmina Tuft, for her brilliant incompetence at running a company!" Edmond said cheerfully, raising his firewhiskey glass high to the rest of the Slytherin conglomeration that had gathered at the bar to celebrate the arrest of one Wilhelmina Tuft.

The woman had been arrested earlier, on charges of adulterating her world famous Tuft Toffees with compulsion potions. It seemed to be a ploy to get people to eat more of her candy, and thus spend more money there. Tom had been only too happy to arrange for the brilliant fall of his biggest opponent, who had only just been revealed to be leading him in the polls by ten points.

Really, it had been quite simple for him the arrange. Theseus Pucey, Mercedes new fiance, was only too happy to help out his future brother-in-law, using his status at the official Potions laboratory at the Ministry to do a couple of randomly selected samples of the woman's toffees. Tom had been ready with a well written quip about how perhaps she wasn't as successful as she'd wanted everyone to believe.

Well, she shouldn't be a problem for him any longer, Tom thought smugly. She was going to be headed to Azkaban, and frankly, being under arrest really hampered one's campaigning skills.

"To Tom Riddle, our fearless leader." Abraxas said with a sour look on his face. "Only too happy to arrange for doctored sample or a heart attack."

Tom's wand was out and pointed under Abraxas's chin before the blond could even blink. "Shut the fuck up Abraxas." Tom hissed, trying not to bring any attention to their conversation. "I had nothing to do with what happened to Minister Spencer-Moon. You can hardly blame me for taking advantage of a fortuitous situation."

Abraxas gulped, clearly having drunk a bit more than he should have, and letting his mouth run because of it. In many ways, he was jealous of the man that Tom Riddle had become. Why should a half-blood be so successful while he was relegated to working in the Records Department?

Dmitri came to his aid, pressing a hand on Tom's wand arm. "Easy, Tom. Brax just had a little bit too much to drink. He didn't mean anything by it."

Tom lowered his wand, sneering at his former classmate. "Just remember, Abraxas, that I am willing to do anything to get what I want. And if you stand in my way..." He trailed off, rolling his wand between his fingers. "What I do to you will make what I did to Wilhelmina Tufts look like a relaxing vacation." Satisfied that his threat was well received, Tom leaned back into the booth, finishing his drink.

He was so close to getting the post of Minister. He wasn't going to fuck it up now when he could taste victory.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N:** Babes! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows over the course of this story! All of your support has been so great, and it has made it so easy to want to keep writing and updating! I can't believe we are at the penultimate chapter! I am going to be doing a bit of a question and answer over on tumblr, I think - send me in your questions about the story! There has been a ton of things that I've wanted to talk about in terms of character choices, influences, where I was coming from with my attempt at the psychology that I couldn't talk about during publishing because I didn't want to give away any spoilers. You can send in your asks on tumblr (nauticalparamour) and it can be anonymous or not, and I will be answering them probably on Saturday or Sunday (but I will probably give a heads up when I do). You can also follow me on tumblr where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer other questions!

Please let me know what you thought about chapter forty-four and be on the lookout for the epilogue soon!

* * *

 **December 4th, 1948**

Tom was surprised when he felt the aching in his chest, sitting out at the bar. In one moment, he was enjoying his evening with the rest of the Slytherin boys, once Abraxas had been put in his place, and the next, he felt as though he was being torn apart, as though hands were trying to claw their way right through his body.

It took him a few moments to work out what it was that was happening, but it didn't take long for all the puzzle pieces to slip into place, and for him to realize that it was a portion of his soul dying. Concerned for his mother, he immediately made his apologies to his friends, before slipping away to floo over to Lestrange manor.

The house was deadly silent and dark when he got there, and it was by chance that he heard some noise from down the stairs. Creeping his way down the steps, Tom took the scene in. His mother was crying, wrapped up in Radalphus's arms, and there was a little bowl with some green liquid in the center of the room. Was it possible that they had attempted some kind of ritual and it had gone horribly wrong?

"Mother? What's wrong?" He called to her, hoping to get to the bottom of this. Once he could ascertain that she was alright, he could make his inquiries about the horcrux.

He was surprised at the way that her head snapped up, turning to look at him. Her face was distorted in agony when her brown eyes landed on his face, almost as though she couldn't stand to look at him. "Tom. What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice unnaturally even, as though she were so drained of emotion. Her eyes were red from crying, giving her an unnatural look.

"I had a...a feeling, you could say, that something was terribly wrong." Tom lied, smoothly, trying to calm his beating heart. He couldn't recall a time when he felt so on edge, when he'd gone into a situation without knowing all the moving parts, and he felt exposed. "I had to come check on you, and then I found you here…" His eyes skipped over to the ritual bowl, wondering what it could be that was so _green_.

"Don't lie to me Tom!" His mum snarled, wrenched her body out of Radalphus's grasp, while she turned to face him. It was in that moment that she let the emerald locket drop, holding it by it's silver chain. "You only came here because you could feel the horcrux die!"

"Mother-" He felt his stomach drop when he laid his eyes on the horribly mangled gift that he'd given her. The metal was warped and twisted, and it was clear that the piece of his soul that it was holding was gone. He hadn't been aware that his mum knew _anything_ about horcruxes, let alone how to _destroy_ one. He'd thought that they were more or less indestructible. Feeling his nostrils flare and his blood pressure rise, Tom tried to keep his cool while he raised his wand. "Accio locket." He said calmly and watched while it slipped from his mum's hand and flew towards him.

He was so horrified by what his horcrux had been reduced to that he didn't even flinch when Radalphus disarmed him, catching his wand simply. Instead, he looked up at his mum, tears in her eyes, before crossing the room towards her with purposeful steps. "What did you do?" He pressed his hands to her shoulders, shaking her a bit, hoping to snap her out of this daze. "Mother, what did you do?" His voice was tortured, in pain, but he couldn't imagine his mum hurting him in this way.

"What did I do?" His mum parroted him back. "What did you do? You ruined your life Tommy! I trusted you and I thought that you were doing so well, and you had to go and fucking murder someone." She pounded her little fists against his chest, in anger, but he could barely feel it. "Tommy, why did you do it? Why did you have to make a horcrux?"

He was so confused about why she seemed so broken, about why she seemed so upset. It was true that he didn't know much about her life prior to her coming to England, so perhaps someone in her past had… "Mum, why did you destroy it? You didn't have to destroy it." He was still so angry at her, he could feel his emotions bubbling up. He wanted to lash out at her - the one person that he thought he could trust had betrayed him, destroying a piece of him in the process. He was glad that Radalphus had taken his wand, because he wasn't certain would have done to her if he'd had it in his hand.

"I had to destroy it because it is _evil_ Tom. It would taint your soul slowly, sending you into madness." She looked at him, pleadingly, willing him to understand what he meant. Her wide pupils were so open that he couldn't help but slip into her mind. What he found, though, was a jumble of heavy, pressing emotions, and confusing images that he couldn't begin to understand. His mum was a young girl, nearly a stranger in another world, fighting against a man with the face of a snake, and chalk white skin. She was destroying a similar horcrux, though this was easy enough to identify as Hufflepuff's Cup. "Please, Tommy, you have to understand that I was just trying to do what was best for you. Please understand. Oh, why did you have to kill Cygnus? It was just like the kitten. You killed Dorea's kitten too, and I didn't want to believe it then, but I know the truth now. Why Tommy?"

He could feel himself snarling at her. "I did that for you, you stupid woman! He was _hurting_ you. I saw how he treated you over the years and I couldn't _stand_ to see you shackled to him for another moment longer." She was crying in earnest, her hands fisted in the front of his robes, holding him to her.

"I told you I could handle it." She pounded her hands against his chest. "I had a plan to get away from him."

"Mum, I had to be sure. I couldn't let you stay with him for a minute longer." Tom said, before he pulled her against his chest, pressing her head into him, as though he were cradling a child. He looked at Radalphus over the top of her head, and kept eye contact. He needed to know that if he ever hurt his mum, Tom wouldn't hesitate to defend her from _him_ too. "It will be okay." He wasn't sure if he was saying that more to his mum or to himself. His mind whirred while he thought through the situation. His mum was obviously completely in the dark about his role in Morfin's death and his second horcrux. He wasn't left completely vulnerable, knowing that he had that secret in his back pocket. That was safely nestled away in his Gringott's vault. It was clear, though, that he could never tell her about that.

"I'm sorry Tommy." She whispered as her sobs slowly stopped and she regained control of her emotions. "I won't turn you into the aurors. But there is hope for you still. All that you have to do is feel _true_ remorse for your actions and your soul will repair itself."

She looked so hopeful that it _nearly_ made him second guess himself. There was no way that he would ever feel an ounce of remorse for what he had done to Cygnus Black. The man had _never_ treated him well once and he'd treated his mother even worse. And he would never feel sorry about ensuring that he had protected himself from attackers, either. But, he could also recognize that his mum would never understand that. She was far too good and too sweet to see if from his perspective. He was still furious that she had destroyed the horcrux, yes, but he could recognize that she was only trying to do what she thought was best. Mostly, he was impressed that his mum had even known what it was.

Pressing her head back to his chest so that he could hide his expression he ran his hand through her brown curls. "Everything is going to be okay, mother. I love you and that is what matters. Sometimes I think that you are the only person I can love." His heart skipped a beat at the admission, and he felt his mum tense as well. "We mustn't let anyone else know about this."

"I've gotten a vow of secrecy from Radalphus. It was too serious to leave up to chance." She told him.

Tom felt himself smile at the other man, wondering if he saw it as his mum choosing him over her husband. But, Tom certainly felt that way. "If word of this got out, I worry about what would happen, mum. Cygnus was your husband. They would think that you and perhaps even Radalphus were involved." Tom needled her. "Think of Delph, Thibaut and Odette. We must keep it quiet for their sakes."

"Of course, Tommy." Hermione said, her face pained as she thought through all of the possible consequences.

"It will be okay, mum. I am going to take care of everything." Tom promised. This was a huge surprise and shock, and clearly, he'd underestimated his mum's intelligence and ruthlessness, but it was by no means a roadblock to his continued success in the Wizengamot. No one knew about it and no one would know about it. He would just have to keep his mum in the dark about the ring.

* * *

 **January 3rd, 1949**

"Before we finish the session today," Tom called out to the Wizengamot, who were all antsy to leave their first full day back on the job from the holiday break. His mum had introduced legislation to try and teach Wizarding traditions to muggleborn students at Hogwarts, which had caused all sorts of discussion from both sides of the aisle. It seemed that neither the muggle lovers or the pureblood idealists wanted _anything_ to do with it. "We have one more item of business. It is a criminal matter, and I have a complaining witness here."

"If it's a criminal matter, why don't you just bring it to the aurors?" Prewett shouted, getting a round of cheers from a small section of the more _Gryffindor_ aligned Wizengamot members. They made for a very _vocal_ group of Tom Riddle-detractors in the election, led by Albus Dumbledore.

"Well, because the accused is one of our very own members of the Wizengamot…" Tom trailed off, having to hide the smirk from his face as the murmurs spread throughout the chambers like ripples in a pond. Once it had quieted back down, Tom continued. "I thought that we should hear the complainant here first, to assess the merit of the claims and decide if action should be taken. The aurors are here to make an arrest if we find that necessary."

All thought of leaving the session early was immediately abandoned by all members of the Wizengamot as they quickly found their seats. "The Wizengamot calls Aberforth Dumbledore!" Tom called out, waiting for the old bartender to make his way into the Chambers, and find his seat at the witness seat. "What is your complaint, Mr. Dumbledore?"

Aberforth cleared his throat, furtively looking around the room. "I, Aberforth Dumbledore, do hereby accuse my brother, Albus Dumbledore, of murder." He said quietly.

The room immediately erupted in a cacophony of surprise and irritation, the loudest being Albus Dumbledore himself. "Silence!" Tom called out across the room. "If you cannot hold your tongues, I will be forced to use magical means to silence you. Now, Mr. Dumbledore, just who is it that you are accusing your brother of murdering?"

"Our sister." Aberforth said, gaining more confidence in himself with Tom's guidance. "In 1899, Albus killed her. Her name was Ariana."

"Malfoy?" Tom asked, turning to his school friend. "What do the census records say of an Ariana Dumbledore?"

Abraxas cleared his throat and made a big show of looking through his papers for this political theater. "In the 1890 census, an Ariana Dumbledore is listed as living in a dwelling in Godric's Hollow with both Aberforth and Albus Dumbledore. In the 1900 census, she is listed as deceased."

"And why wasn't it reported? Why wasn't it investigated at the time?" Tom asked his complying witness, just as they had practiced.

"My father buried her himself. He was trying to cover up for Albus, knowing that he'd already been to Azkaban, he didn't want the Dumbledore family to get a reputation for being a _dark_ family." Aberforth spat.

"This is an outrage! These are baseless claims!" Albus Dumbledore shouted from his spot in the front row. "This is blatant defamation of my character by Tom Riddle, who is just doing this to curry political favor for himself!"

"I think I've heard enough. Shall we put it to a vote?" Tom asked, before initiating the voice vote. Albus had many friends in the Wizengamot, who were inclined to vote against his arrest and indictment, but in the end, Tom had collected a few more than the old man. "With a final tally of sixty-five in favor and fifty-eight against, I hereby indict Albus Dumbledore on the charges of murder!" Tom called out.

The aurors came in then, ready to arrest the old teacher. Dumbledore wasn't about to go down without a fight and began sending hexes at anyone who got near him. He was no match for ten aurors, though, and he was quickly disarmed and restrained. "You are making a terrible mistake! Tom Riddle is a monster, _evil_ , I have seen his soul and it is stained with dark magic!" Dumbledore shouted, wild-eyed, at anyone who would listen. "I know things about him! He has-"

Dumbledore had worked himself into such a frenzy that he began coughing, great ugly coughs and wasn't able to finish spouting off whatever _secrets_ he thought he possessed.

* * *

 **January 20th, 1949**

"Riddle! Riddle! Riddle! Riddle! MacKay! Riddle! MacKay! MacKay! Riddle!" All of the Wizengamot votes were slowly called out by each of the sitting members of the Wizengamot, on the day that the vote was finally taken. Tom listened and made a note of each supporter, wanting to be sure to thank them personally, and of course, he made a note of _everyone_ who voted against him, knowing that he would never forget this.

He'd won the popular election handily enough, but there was still the matter of the Wizengamot's votes. The decision of the Wizengamot was equal to that of the popular vote, so if MacKay had gathered enough support within the legislative body, Tom could still topple down. Staring around the room, though, he liked his chances.

"MacKay! Riddle! Riddle! Riddle!" The final votes rang out in the cavernous chambers, and he could feel his heart pound in his chest. When he was a child and he'd initially conjured up his plan to be Minister of Magic, he never expected that it would actually happen so soon. At age twenty-three, he was by far the youngest Minister in England's history. Smiling around the room, he gave them a little wave as he now had the awkward task of introducing _himself_ as Minister of Magic, being that he was the Undersecretary still.

"With the final vote tally coming to eighty-three to thirty, may I present myself," He blushed, knowing that giving the air of being a humble person would go a long way in endearing himself to the rest of the people there, "Tom Riddle, as Minister of Magic. If you'd care to join us in the grand ballroom, I believe that there will be a small reception."

Of course, Tom had had Abraxas plan an opulent reception for the Minister of Magic. There was no chance in hell that that bumbling fool, MacKay could have actually beat him, so he wanted to make sure that this would be an evening that everyone would remember. The day that Tom Riddle finally managed to get ultimate power in the Wizarding world.

It was strange to be around so many people who were trying to garner his favor already, when he hadn't even been Minister for an hour. He shook so many people's hands on the way in, people who previously treated him like dirt or saw him as some kind of upstart were now trying their hardest to get his ear. Tom had a long memory, though. He would never forget the slights that he'd cataloged over the years. Similarly, the loyal would be rewarded.

While the orchestra played, Tom spun his young wife around the room, a smile plastered on his face. Melanie was babbling away about how happy she was. "Well, it's a good thing that I just started my mastery isn't it? Just imagine the stir that would cause if I was your personal secretary. I am sure lots of people would fuss about that, even though I got my job on my own skills."

Tom pressed a kiss to Melanie's forehead, having identified his mum trying not to look miserable on the edge of the room. "I must take my mother around the room." He told his wife, before waltzing over to his mum.

Ever since their confrontation over the horcrux and all of those horrible memories that he'd seen in her mind, it was no secret that their previously unshakeable relationship was a bit strained. It seemed as if she was always suspicious of every action that he took, and Tom had realized that his mum still had secrets of her own. It would take time to rebuild her trust, but he was positive he could trick her into thinking that he'd repaired his soul. After all, he loved his mum, and the only thing he ever wanted was for her to be happy.

She took his hand, and allowed him to spin her around the room. It was a scene that the Daily Prophet would call sweet the next day. "I can't believe you are actually Minister, Tom." She murmured quietly. "I just hope that...you can continue to make me proud. Now is the time to show the world what a _good_ man you can be." It was subtle, but he knew what she was trying to say.

"I couldn't have done it without you." Tom whispered to his mum, while he guided her back to Radalphus's side. "If you hadn't believed in me, I never would have gotten this far."

With a despondent tone in her voice, his mum responded simply. "I know."

* * *

 **April 29th, 1949**

"I am pleased to announce our first major legislative change that we have made since I took office in January!" Tom called out to the crowd, his voice aided by a sonorus charm. Hermione watched him stand proudly behind the podium, having taken to the position of Minister of Magic like a duck to water. Beside him stood his wife, Melanie, who was glowing, her hands pressed against rounded belly. She was due to give birth in a few weeks, and Hermione couldn't not believe that she was going to become a grandmother when she still had several little ones of her own at home.

"I had the displeasure of watching my mother go through a bitter custody dispute in regards to my younger brother Delphinus." Tom said, a frown marring his charming visage. "She had to fight the dubious intentions of an ancient and noble house to keep custody of her _own child_." He paused for dramatic effect. "Although we cannot end our proud wizarding traditions passed down within a house, we need to give mother's more say in the children's lives! There is no reason that some ancient patriarch that hasn't even spend an hour with a child should have more say over that child's own mother. And I am hoping that this newly passed legislation will do just that!"

The crowd broke out in polite applause, with some more raucous supporters as well. Hermione smiled and fiddled with Delphinus's robes from her seat on the dias as a guest of honor, hating that his parentage should come up in such a public space. As far as most were concerned, Delphinus _was_ a Lestrange, and the memory of Cygnus Black was no longer a factor in anyone's memory. Delphinus himself had only known Radalphus as a father, and Hermione and he had agreed to sit their eldest down before he went to Hogwarts to explain the circumstances of his birth.

Flavia clapped loudly from the seat next to Hermione, also on stage, seeing as her husband Gareth had been one of the co-authors of the legislation. "Oh, Hermione, aren't you so proud of Tom? He's grown up into _such_ a remarkable young man." Flavia gushed about how wonderful their new young Minister was. "And to dedicate his first bit of legislation to you...oh, Hermione, you must be so honored."

A familiar tightness wrapped its way around Hermione's heart when she considered Flavia's words. It was true that Tom was _nothing_ like the Lord Voldemort that had tainted their world previously. No, this Tom was certainly determined to be well liked, even if he had to resort to underhanded and manipulative tactics to get what he wanted, to make progress. But, she now that the wool had been lifted from her eyes, now that she knew what Tom Riddle was _still_ capable of, that she hadn't been successful at changing him completely with her love, everything she'd gone through tasted bitter.

Looking at him, pressing a kiss to young Melanie's temple, with his hand pressed against her swollen belly, his words echoed in her mind - that he thought _she_ was the only person he could love. Would having a child of his own change him the way that it had changed her? She could only hope.

"Yes," Hermione told her friend softly, a hard knot forming in her throat. "I am very proud."


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:** Babes! Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows over the length of this story. I cannot believe that it is actually over! Ending stories is always bittersweet, but I am excited to move on to some new characters. Still, I have a couple of drabbles planned that will go into Bits & Pieces, for the 2000th reviewer, and a couple of other suggestions that piqued my interest, so be on the lookout for that! Ah, I never imagined that this story would get so much support, or be so long, or be over 150k words! If you like my work, you can check out my tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I will be posting story updates in the future.

Please let me know what you thought of the epilogue and I will be seeing you soon! Thank you all so so much from the bottom of my heart!

* * *

 **September 3rd, 1951**

Hermione couldn't remember exactly when it had happened, but she had started to have a standing tea date with Pollux Black. It was unusual that their relationship had been transformed so much since he was just a surly eighteen year old boy, accusing her of being a gold digger after his father's money. It wasn't as though Hermione could blame him, having met some of the other pureblood women of their society.

Pouring the tea for both of them, Hermione handed him his cup. "Is Delphinus settling in to Hogwarts alright?" He asked politely. "You know that Cygnus will help him if he needs anything."

"Well, it's only been two days, so I don't know what he could need so far." Hermione said primly. "He wrote to me and said that he's enjoying being in Slytherin so far." It was no surprise to Hermione that Delph had ended up in Slytherin, seeing as her other son, Tom, could not stop telling the younger boy how wonderful of a house it was - really, the only house worth belonging to - though Mercedes had tried to talk up Ravenclaw.

They chit-chatted for a little bit longer, before Hermione couldn't back any longer. "What's this I hear about Cygnus getting pulled from school to marry Druella Rosier?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant, trying to give Pollux a chance to change his mind, perhaps.

"Yes, I was married while I was still at Hogwarts and it...has worked out for me." Pollux said, his shoulders sagging under the lie that he was carrying.

"Pollux, you and I both know that isn't true." Hermione admonished, setting down her teacup with a clatter. "Druella looks like she is going to give birth before the year is out. I implore you, Pollux, please don't make the same mistake Cygnus did, the same mistake that Phineas made with Cygnus. You can break the cycle of unhappy marriages and mistresses."

This time he deflated completely. "Oh, I know." He said, rubbing his hand across his face. "I don't want him to come to resent me, the way that I _hated_ my father. But, I don't know what I will do with Druella. I can't remember the last time a pureblood witch gave birth outside of marriage."

Hermione regarded him with a bit of sympathy. Of course, she had nearly found herself in that situation when she'd learned she was pregnant with the twins, but she was prepared to accept the consequences of her actions as well. "Druella will get through it, because she will have you to support her. You can still give your daughter the Black name, acknowledge her, and set up a dowry and other things for her. It's not ideal, but she deserves more than to be foisted upon a teenage father who knows she isn't his." It wasn't that unusual for muggle aristocrats to have multiple children outside of their families, and Hermione was sure that no one would be surprised, seeing as Irma and Pollux hadn't been seen in public together for many years.

Pollux gave her a thoughtful look. "Cassiopeia always said you had an uncanny way of predicting the future. Are you a seer?" He asked. "Druella only just found out yesterday that we are going to have a daughter."

Hermione wanted to curse herself for slipping up on a detail, but instead shook her head. "No, but I've always had a way of knowing about children." She said with a shrug. In reality, she could never forget the witch soon to be born, called Bellatrix Black. Hermione hoped that this might translate to a happier life for baby Bellatrix. "Just promise me you will think about stopping the wedding, Pollux. You have to do what is right for all of your children."

Pollux still looked miserable, but he nodded along. "I will think on it."

* * *

 **October 27th, 1957**

"Pippa." Tom said sternly, watching as his daughter's head snapped up in surprise at being caught. "What have I told you about poking your nose into business that isn't yours?" He questioned.

Phillipa Hermione Riddle, his eldest child, was a very intelligent girl, accustomed to getting what she wanted, reminding him of himself so much. With her curly, dark hair, and deep blue eyes, she rather looked like him as well. "That it would only lead to trouble." She said, trying to appear sullen, but it was clear that she wasn't sorry at all. "And don't get caught."

He gave her a smile, patting her on the top of the head. Walking around the table, Tom sat in the chair behind the desk, before pulling the eight year old to rest on his knee. "Now, what was it that so captured your attention, Pip?" He asked, pulling the papers forward so that he could see what she'd learned. Obviously he would have to get better about warding his room. He'd thought that he'd done well enough, having used parselmouth spells, but with his children all inheriting the trait, well, he'd need to do a bit more.

"Why do you have a children's book on your desk, papa?" Pippa asked, genuinely curious. It didn't make any sense to her. "And why are the Three Brother's so important?"

The book had been difficult to track down, but he'd done it eventually, seeing as it was the one copy of the Tales of Beedle the Bard that had belonged to Albus Dumbledore himself. He'd been entranced by the odd symbol written throughout the book, almost obsessively, and he quickly learned that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had been chasing the Deathly Hallows, a most interesting fact.

"I wanted to give it to your brother, for his birthday." Tom lied to her, easily enough. Just because his daughter was shaping up to be just as ruthless as he was didn't mean that he was going to reveal everything to him. "But, to be honest, I got a bit interested in it quite by chance when I cracked the cover. Now, why don't we go down to Tommy's party. We are about to eat cake. And I know your grandmother was quite upset that you slipped away."

Pippa crossed her arms while a sullen look passed over her face. "That's not true. She's spent all night holding William." Pippa was not very good at sharing the attention of her grandmother, her namesake, much the same as Tom hadn't been. The pair of them had a special bond that she didn't have with Tom Riddle the III, newly turned four years old and whose party was going on tonight. She'd been dismayed to see how much her grandmother cooed over the newest edition to the family though, three month old William Salazar.

"You know that your grandmother doesn't love you any less just because she is holding William." Tom scolded her. "He is just a baby. He requires a lot of care and attention. And you know how proud your mother and I have been since you have been helping out with him so much."

Pippa bit her lower lip, perhaps contemplating his words and weighing her options, before finally nodding her head. "Alright, let's go to the party. But can I have a corner piece?" She asked, having a bit of a sweet tooth and extra frosting was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Of course darling." Tom said, running his hand down her curls, feeling his heart swell with love for his child. He could still remember the day that he held her for the first time, and how everything in his worldview _shifted_. He was no longer just working for himself, but for his child as well.

"And will you read me the story of the Three Brothers?" She asked, really testing her luck on the bargaining, but Tom was in a good mood when he agreed. Her mind was sharp, and it only made sense that he start teaching her today.

* * *

 **March 29th, 1960**

"Oh Dorea, he is so cute." Hermione said, holding baby James Charlus Potter in her arms. He had a tiny tuft of black hair on his head and signs of a cowlick already forming. It seemed that he was showing signs of the unmanageable Potter hair early. Running the back of her finger along his chubby cheek, James opened up his eyes to look at her. "I can already tell that this one is going to be a little troublemaker."

Dorea laughed at that. "Yes, considering he decided to come early, just when we were on our way to America seems to suggest that." James had decided to make his appearance approximately six weeks before he was due. Hermione had known that Harry's father was born sometime in March and tried to convince Dorea and Charlus to postpone their holiday plans, but they'd brushed off her warnings.

"Well, I am sure that you can't wait to get out of here." Hermione said, gesturing to St. Mungo's. As the years went on, more and more witches were taking the modern approach and having their children born at the hospital surrounded by healers and nurses. Even her most recent grandchild, William, had been born at St. Mungo's, though Etta had opted to have Rabastan at home.

It was very odd to be surrounded by the people that would have one day become Death Eaters, but they were now just little children who loved her. Rodolphus and Rabastan loved to come stay with their grandparents. She'd been delighted to have Roddy follow her around the house and learned that he loved to make cookies from scratch with her. Little Rab was only three now, but he very much enjoyed walking in the orchard with Radalphus.

Would James Potter grow up at parties, playing with Tom Riddle's children? Would he trail around after little Rabastan Lestrange? Or perhaps he'd be best friends with little Edmond Pucey, recently born to proud parents Mercedes and Theseus. She wondered if he'd still come into contact with Sirius Black, born that previous autumn, or if they'd never become fast friends.

Somehow Hermione highly doubted that. Orion and Walburga had been married for several years before Sirius was born. Pollux, perhaps recognizing that his daughter was not what one would call a "natural" mother, had been taking a very active role in little Sirius's life, wanting to make sure that his first grandchild was happy and well looked after. Hermione had better hope for Sirius, too, knowing that Lord Voldemort's pureblood taint wouldn't ever infect Orion and Walburga's life. Pollux and Dorea had come to have a quite close relationship, and so Hermione was positive that James and Sirius would have many opportunities to play together while growing up.

"You know, I can hardly believe that you were right. That I finally had a baby." Dorea said, pushing blonde hair over her shoulder. "You were always so positive that I would have one, a son. Cassiopeia always said that you knew too much about our futures. She thought you'd put a hex on her."

Hermione smiled. It was true that she did seem to have a way of protecting future events, but she supposed that wasn't really fair. "I didn't put a hex on Cassiopeia." Hermione said with a grin. "I just had a feeling about you. I can't explain it, I just knew that you'd be blessed with this little man eventually." Passing the baby back to her stepdaughter's arms, Hermione sat back in her chair.

Dorea laughed at her. "Fine, keep your secrets! But I will figure it out someday."

* * *

 **May 1st, 1961**

"Tommy, just what do you think you are doing with that snake?" Hermione asked sharply, looking at her grandson with a suspicious eye. All three of Tom's children took after their father in coloring, but Tommy seemed to have inherited Melanie's Hufflepuff nature. He _tried_ to be so sneaky, but at seven years old, he hadn't quite managed it yet.

"I found her in the garden, grandmother." He said, innocently enough, his teeth slightly too big for his mouth. "She said she might like to go to a party. And look, she is just like Slither!" It was true that this new snake did rather look like her son's familiar, but still a wedding was no place to bring a snake.

"Tommy, I don't think that Aunt Odette would like to have a snake at her wedding." It seemed as though it was only yesterday when Odette was a little girl, with brown curly hair. Almost in the blink of an eye, though, she'd proclaimed that she was going to marry none other than Garrard Greengrass, Delphinus's best friend. To be honest, Hermione and Flavia were so excited to be related in truth and had eagerly helped Odette plan each and every detail of the wedding. Radalphus and Gareth were also excited, seeing as they had been friends so long, and now were joining their families.

Perhaps to no one's surprise, Minister Tom Riddle was the only one who wasn't thrilled with the idea of his baby sister getting married at such a young age. It had taken Odette putting her big brother in his place, telling him that just because she was getting married didn't mean that she was precluded from having a job and that she still intended on completing her apprenticeship at Gringott's. Tom had reluctantly giving his blessing, but insisted on having a one on one chat about how Odette should be treated with Garrard.

Thibaut had not had any trouble with the idea of his twin getting married, as he was only too happy to have a night to dance with all of the eligible witches at the party. Delphinus had been a little bit uncomfortable to learn that his best friend was interested in his younger sister

Odette had been a beautiful bride. Her hair have stayed more wavy, whereas her twin's hair remained as curly as Hermione's. She'd asked Pippa to be a junior bridesmaid, and Will had made an adorable little ring bearer, but Tommy had been left to his own devices.

He frowned at the snake. "I wouldn't want Odette to be upset with me." He really was a sensitive boy, and he _so_ wanted to be well liked. It was a bit of a trait that she recognized in his father. Looking at the snake, he hissed away with it, before setting her down. "I told her that I would get her before we leave. Do you think mum will let me have a familiar, or will she think I am too young."

Wrapping an arm around her grandson's shoulders, Hermione walked him back to the party. "Oh, Tommy, I think your mum will see how happy your new friend, and she won't be able to say no to you." Smoothing out his perfectly parted hair, Hermione smiled, remembering when Slither became a part of her family. "And, I am sure that your father would be glad to see you are carrying on the tradition he started with Slither."

"Grandmother?" Tommy stopped, looking at Hermione, seeming so entirely sullen and serious, that it made Hermione nervous.

"What is it darling?"

"Do you think that they will be serving the cake soon?" He asked her so sweetly, that Hermione couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that Tommy was going to have just as much of a sweet tooth as the rest of the Riddle family. When her family's happiness had started to revolve around cake, she wasn't sure.

* * *

 **September 19th, 1979**

Tom could have kicked himself when he realized he had the answer in front of him all along. He'd been perplexed by the Deathly Hallows, unsure of whether they even existed or not. But then, he'd heard reports through the years of an auror who had risen up through the ranks, who could seemingly do no wrong, and that he was nearly...invincible. It wasn't until he'd learned from Lucius, Abraxas's much more useful heir and recent Hogwarts graduate, revealed to Tom that he'd talked to the now Head Auror one night at a bar. The auror, very drunk, had told Lucius that he was the one who'd disarmed Albus Dumbledore and he even used the man's wand.

Lucius had been rewarded. The Head Auror had met an unwelcome end. And Tom Riddle was now the proud owner of the Elder Wand.

He'd known that it was the Elder Wand the moment that he'd held it in his palm, and it was hard _not_ to become drunk on the power. Luckily, Tom was very disciplined, he always had been, and he was able to keep control of himself with it.

Once he'd learned that the Deathly Hallows were real, he devoted himself to finding the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility. Tracking through the bloodlines of the Prevells through the ages, and chasing down leads, eventually, Tom came to the conclusion that the Resurrection Stone was meant to be with _his_ family. The Gaunts. And that was when he'd finally made a trip to his vault at Gringotts and got out his remaining horcrux.

He'd never given much thought to the oddly geometric, purely black stone that was in the middle of the Gaunt Ring, but now that he was giving it a second look, it seemed almost preposterous that he'd had been in possession of a Deathly Hallow since he was just a teenager. If only he'd known about it then. Not that there was anyone that he wanted to bring back from the dead, but still, he was now one step closer to ultimate power.

That left only the Cloak of Invisibility to track down, and another round of family genealogy to work through. He wanted it though, and so he was confident that it wouldn't be long until he did have it.

Before he could think on it more, his youngest son, William, was sticking his head into Tom's office. "Grandmother just arrived for her birthday party, father." William was the last of his children who was still living at home, and he didn't have any plans on settling down anytime soon, to his mother's chagrin. Pippa and Tom had long since made their own families, and Tom found himself being a grandfather himself, several times over, though his hair was just as dark as always, and he had no wrinkles to be seen.

"Come, then." He stood, knowing that his research into the Deathly Hallows would wait for another evening of celebration of the brilliant woman who was his mother, Hermione Lestrange. After all, it was her special day.


End file.
